AL - City police to get new motorcycles, radar guns
May 12, 2008
City police to get new motorcycles, radar guns
By Don Fletcher
Progress staff writer
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Some motorcycle officers with the Prattville Police De*partment will soon be patrolling city streets on new Harley-Da*vidsons, while all of the cycle-borne officers will soon be using more modern equipment to clock speeding motorists.
The Prattville City Council approved Tuesday the release of capital budget funds totaling just over $37,000 for the pur*chase of two 2008 Harley-David*son motorcycles and five hand-held radar guns for use by local officers.
Police Chief Alfred Wads*worth said each purchase repre*sents the long overdue replace*ment of equipment that has been in use for several years.
"We have five motorcycles we've been using since 2003," Wadsworth said. "We need to re*place five, and we'll replace two of them now. We hope to replace the other ones in the next budget year."
The new units, which will be purchased from Harley-David*son of Montgomery, come with a price tag of $18,200 each. The money was included in this year's police department bud*get.
The new hand-held radar de*tectors, which cost $763.20 each, will replace units that are al*most twice as old as the motor*cycles currently used by officers who are responsible for traffic enforcement and accident inves*tigations.
"The new ones will replace radar units that we've been us*ing since the 1990's," Wads*worth said. "They will be a lot more compact, a lot more effi*cient and even more accurate than the older ones."
The city police chief said he opted for handheld radar units instead of handlebar-mounted ones because of safety factors.
"The hand-held ones are more geared to safety," he said. "If they're mounted on the mo*torcycle, the officer has to slow down, then turn around and go after the vehicle that was speed*ing. That's my main concern."
Wadsworth pointed out that motorcycle officers seen parked at local intersections or beside local streets wouldn't be at those sites because they were taking a break.
"If you see them, you can smile, because you're getting your picture taken," he said. "They won't be just pulled over, looking for some shade or tak*ing a break. They'll definitely be working."
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