The History of the Eastern Michigan University Police Department Motorcycle Unit
The Eastern Michigan University Police Motorcycle Unit was established in 2013 by Chief Robert Heighes. One officer was selected to attend the Harley Davidson/Northwestern Traffic Institute motor officer school in Ann Arbor, MI during the summer of 2013. I successfully passed the school and the motor unit began. We took possession of our first bike, a 2014 Harley Davidson Electra Glide, in the spring of 2014 and have been on the road since.
The unit’s primary function is public relations and special event usage. We remain available to neighboring jurisdictions for details such as parades, festivals and large crowd functions on and off campus such as the Woodward Ave dream cruise, funeral escorts, dignitary escorts (such as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels) as well as athletic events, concerts and commencement events on campus. The main function of the motor is to help establish contact with the public (on and off campus) to stress the efforts that the Eastern Michigan University Police Dept. is doing to make the campus a safe environment for students, staff, faculty and visitors as well. The maneuverability and accessibility that the motor unit can obtain whether in large crowds, congested traffic situations or simply to respond to areas of campus that aren’t accessible by typical patrol vehicles has proven to be very valuable in the past.
To date, There is only one motor officer assigned to the unit however, we just received permission from the chief to find a school to send a second officer later this summer.
Information and Photos provided by the Eastern Michigan University Police Department.