Winter Park, FL Police Department

The History of the Winter Park Police Department Motorcycle Unit

During the late 1920’s, the first patrolman and motorcycle officer were hired starting the Patrol and Traffic divisions. These divisions have grown into the present Traffic and Patrol Divisions with a combined total of forty-eight officers.

In 1925 Winter Park Police Department started a patrol Division which was a single motorcycle. Cars were added later but they always had a Motorcycle. In 1939 the city hired a Orlando Motorcycle Officer, Carl D. Buchanan to be Chief. He added a couple more motorcycles and remained Chief for 30 years and I worked for him. He was very tough disciplinarian with his men and had control over most city officials. He was very Intimidating, but in 1962 he lost his argument with a new city commissioner to keep the three remaining motors because of so much down time during rainy season and was only allowed to keep the Harley-Davidson Servi-Car for meter duty. He retaliated in anger by buying to Dodge Lancers to replace the motors. They were so small we often had to call for one of the Ford’s or Chevy’s to transport large arrestees. I know the motor unit was reinstated after I left in 1964 and that Motor Man was a historian and collected a lot of information, but a later Chief saw no value in history and I am not sure what happened to the material. If you can trace down his son Carl David Buchanan who was on the department with me he has lots of pictures of every piece of equipment they had . He lives in Orlando, Winter Park, area.

1962 Harley-Davidson Servicar Motor Officer Pete Brenenstuhl Sr.  (Photo provided by Pete Brenenstuhl Sr.)
1960

Information and Photos provided by the Winter Park, FL Police Department.