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2004 Annual Report - City of Fairbanks

2004 Annual Report - City of Fairbanks

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F.P.D. MOTORCYCLE PROGRAM<br />

The <strong>Fairbanks</strong> Police Department continued its Police Motorcycle Program in <strong>2004</strong>. This<br />

represented our third year <strong>of</strong> operation, with Harley Davidson’s Farthest-North Outpost<br />

once again donating two brand-new Harley Davidson Police Road King (FLHPI's) bikes.<br />

The motorcycles are leased for $1.00 a month, representing a historical “token fee”<br />

through Harley Davidson’s leasing program, and are used by F.P.D. during the summer<br />

months. The Outpost fronts the capitol outlay for the bikes, and then sells the<br />

motorcycles when F.P.D. returns them in the fall. This allows a customer to purchase a<br />

Harley Davidson motorcycle that was used in “actual police service.”<br />

The Outpost’s Service Department performed nearly all<br />

maintenance and routine work on the bikes, getting our<br />

Officers back on the road as soon as possible. The<br />

<strong>Fairbanks</strong> Chapter <strong>of</strong> the Harley Owners Group took<br />

donations to initiate the program in its first year,<br />

purchasing emergency lights and equipment for the Road<br />

Kings. Community support for the program has been<br />

overwhelmingly positive, and our motor <strong>of</strong>ficers <strong>of</strong>ten<br />

have to cut conversations short to respond to calls for<br />

service, as people love to talk to the Officers about their<br />

Harleys! The Motor Officers’ dedication to the program is<br />

unparalleled; they donate their time to ensure that the<br />

bikes are waxed and washed before every parade and<br />

community event. Our three Motor Officers have<br />

purchased their own leather jackets and protective equipment, and agreed to forgo paid<br />

overtime for special events where the bikes are needed.<br />

Our Motor Squad consists <strong>of</strong> Sgt. Eric Jewkes, Officer<br />

Matt Soden, and Officer Dave Stevenson. In addition to<br />

parade and ceremonial support duties, the unit<br />

undertook a more aggressive posture in traffic<br />

enforcement in <strong>2004</strong>. Through both the “Click it or<br />

Ticket” seatbelt campaign and construction-zone traffic<br />

details, motor <strong>of</strong>ficers contributed to our overall<br />

enforcement efforts. (Much to the chagrin <strong>of</strong> many<br />

motorists, who are not used to seeing police motorcycles in the Interior and <strong>of</strong>ten don’t<br />

realize that the motorcycle is a “police bike” until the red-and-blue lights come on!)<br />

During the <strong>2004</strong> riding season, Our Motor Squad tallied twenty-two felony arrests,<br />

seventy-three misdemeanor arrests, and wrote ninety-seven traffic citations. Motor<br />

Officers were the primary responder on 797 calls for service, and backed-up other<br />

<strong>of</strong>ficers on many more calls. Our Motor Officers escorted the Harley-Owner’s Group<br />

(HOGS) for the Chatanika River Run, and led the Special Olympics’ Torch Run and the<br />

Midnight Sun Run. Once again leading the Golden Day’s Parade and then patrolling<br />

back through the parade-route, we reduced injuries and potential problems along the<br />

way, providing our Motor Officers with a great assignment to mix with the members <strong>of</strong><br />

our community!<br />

Page 22

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