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Harley Davidson Road Kings zoom past a crowd of parade-goers, sirens buzz and whine, warning the crowd that the parade is coming, priming the spirit for Carnival with fuel injectors and exhaust.
Motorcycle officers and deputies from Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police and Houma Police are clearing the parade route of pedestrians and reinforcing the lines of demarcation between man and float.
Their maneuvers can be dangerous if performed by the untrained. They carve an oval through the parade route, zooming a couple feet or less from the fog lines highlighting the edge of the road, where people stand.
Among them is Houma Police Officer Andree Picou, the department’s first female motorcycle traffic officer. Picou has worked in the traffic division for some time, just not on a Harley.
“It’s an introduction to let you know that the parade is here and it’s pretty much really just to clear the streets,” Picou said of her Carnival role.
Picou was certified as a motor officer one year ago, but started riding seriously two months ago.
The traffic division of the HPD has two motorcycle officers, Mike Toups and Patrick Theriot. Theriot recently retired and the position became available. Picou was offered the position and she accepted.
Picou explained the difficulty in making an endless series of left turns during a parade.
“Because the bike is heavy, and if you don’t lean it properly, and you don’t use enough speed or choke or throttle, than it could fall over,” she said.
“Now, they’ve had females that have ridden motorcycles, but never in the long test of endurance that you see in these parades,” Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet said. The motor officers clear a path, making the loops through the entire length of the parade.
Picou admitted that it can be a strain on one’s forearms and hands, but she prepared for it by working out her grip. “I’m exhausted by the time I get home.”
She likes the camaraderie among the motor officers who ride in the parades and enjoys talking with the people of Houma. Like other motorcyclists, she is cryptic about what drives her to ride.
“Unless you’ve ridden, it’s really hard to explain the experience of riding on a motorcycle,” Picou said. “There’s just a … freedom.”
Houma Police Chief Todd Duplantis described Picou as a “really good officer.” Duplantis said the motor officers who ride in the parade train together for the task.
“You have to have an officer who is on top of his game to do this,” he said. “With the amount of people around, there is a lot that can happen”
Northwestern University Center for Public Safety and Harley Davidson offer 11-day-long motor officer training classes at varying locations across the country. Picou successfully completed the course.
Officer Andree Picou clears the parade route during the Krewe of Aphrodite parade in Houma on Friday. Picou is the first female motor officer to ride for the Houma Police Department.
