Warwick Police Department hosts motorcycle training at High School

Warwick - The Warwick Police Department hosted basic motorcycle operator and refresher courses in the parking facility at Warwick Valley High School for members of its department as well as officers from other departments in the Hudson Valley during the entire week ending Aug. 31. Police officers training to become qualified as motorcycle operators or requalifying represented departments from Beacon, Goshen, New Paltz and Westchester County communities as well as Warwick. “We are grateful for the use of the Warwick Valley High School parking facility,” said Warwick Police Chief Thomas McGovern Jr. He explained that the other police departments pay a modest fee to cover costs and that these annual training courses are not only important for the safety of his motorcycle police officers but they are conducted without incurring any extraordinary expense for the Town. Chris Arborn, who is certified as a police motorcycle training instructor by the Northwestern Traffic Institute, was on hand to supervise the recent training and put all the candidates through the required paces. Arborn, who is also retired from the New York Police Department Highway Patrol, has been a police motorcycle instructor for the past 10 years. “Two of the most important things officers have to learn here,” he said, “are low-sped maneuverability and high-speed braking skills.” Arborn also performs his own live demonstration to prove that with proper application of front wheel brakes, a motorcycle traveling at 40 mph can stop in 60 feet as opposed to 130 feet or more with improper braking. All candidates are required to do the same. “These courses are designed to teach the operator, many of whom are experienced riders, the capability of the motorcycle they’ve been issued,” said McGovern. “They learn that they can turn in a small radius at very low speed and how to brake in a minimum distance. Our refresher and new operator courses are held annually and they teach skills that are not only useful in actual patrols but enhance the safety of our officers.” With 37 officers, the Warwick Police Department is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in Orange County but because the Town of Warwick encompasses 105 square miles, it has, by far, the largest area to patrol. According to McGovern, the motorcycle is not only a more efficient means of patrol in certain situations such as stalled traffic, but in view of the price of fuel and maintenance costs, it is more economical to operate than a patrol car and provides substantial savings to the overall operation of the Warwick Police Department. In the past six years, seven Warwick Police Officers have qualified as motorcycle operators.