Houma Police officers jump on new Harley Davidson motorcycles

With last week’s Terrebonne Parish Budget and Finance Committee giving the go ahead to purchase two new Harley Davidson motorcycles for the Houma Police Department, it’s out with the old and in with the new.

“Basically we have four motorcycles that were purchased in 2002 by Houma Police Department, and throughout the years we really haven’t used the four motorcycles,” Houma Police Chief Todd Duplantis said. “We only have two motorcycles that we’ve actually used.”

And with the four motorcycles becoming outdated, as well as under used, Duplantis said that it would be more cost efficient to buy two new bikes than to maintain the original four that do not have warranties.

“We’re to the point now where we have four motorcycles, and it appears that there’s going to be some maintenance costs coming up, and there’s no warranties,” Duplantis said. “What we’re looking to do would be to surplus the four, and get two new motorcycles. By doing this, we would have newer motorcycles with better safety features, better anti-lock brake systems on them that came out in 2008 and new warranties.”

According to Angela Guidry, purchasing manager for Terrebonne Parish, the 2002 motorcycles cost approximately $14,000 each when originally purchased, and will be sold at a starting bid of $3,500.

“We had a dollar amount that was offered to us to trade these bikes in, and what we’ve done is set a minimum bid of $3,500 for these bikes. It will be a sealed bid just like our other vehicles and equipment,” Guidry said. “And if you bid over $3,500 you might have a chance of getting one.”

The money attained from selling the older motorcycles will go toward the purchase of two 2011 Harley Davidson motorcycles, which will cost approximately $20,000 each.

Guidry plans to meet with Officer Patrick Theriot, who heads Houma Police’s traffic effort, to begin the bid process at different Harley Davidson locations.

The new motorcycles, Duplantis said, will help police better patrol the streets of Houma.

“On average, in a year, the Houma Police Department handles about 2,000 car crashes,” Duplantis said. “In 2009, we handled a little over 1,900 crashes. In the last six months, we’ve handled 700,” which is just slightly under the 2,100 crashes investigated by Louisiana State Police across five parishes last year.

Duplantis said the main advantage to officers riding motorcycles is maneuverability – a definite plus in the downtown area.

“We can send a traffic officer on a motorcycle in those areas that can do enforcement better than a car,” the police chief said.

“If we get a crash in a tunnel, [an officer] can get inside that tunnel and get it cleared in a very expedited manner,” he said. “You talk Mardi Gras, the motorcycles are at the front of the parade and the reason is because they have better control over a car. It’s more likely a guy is going to avoid hitting somebody on a motorcycle than in a car.”

Duplantis said motorcycles are also easily able to track speeders and stop sign violations.

In addition to maneuverability, the motorcycles will cost less in fuel. And by reducing the fleet to only two, the department’s insurance rate will drop slightly. All four motorcycles, although rarely used, are insured.

According to Theriot, Harley Davidson is the best brand for the job.

“They’ve been producing police motorcycles for over 100 years, so they are built for urban environments,” he said. “They have other options like Honda and BMW, but those are more sport motorcycles, they are designed for highway and interstate travel and are not an upright vehicle.

“I am certified through Harley Davidson and through Northwestern University as a police motor cycle instructor,” Theriot continued. “So, I can’t help but express my interest towards Harley Davidson, because that’s what I teach on. However, I can say that riding upright for 8 hours is better than riding while leaning over. Harley Davidson has also pioneered the new anti-lock brake system.”

Purchasing manager Guidry said two of the old bikes are expected to be out on the market within seven to 10 days of the next Terrebonne Parish council meeting, while keeping the two with the highest mileage in service until the new bikes are purchased.