Fargo Police Officer Troy Nielsen
FARGO (KFGO) – Fargo Police are again using motorcycles for speed and other traffic law enforcement.
The bikes were first deployed in 2012 when Harley Davidson had a special promotion allowing police departments to purchase them for a nominal charge. Since then, they’ve been on the streets sporadically, depending the availability of officers certified and licensed to drive them.
Officer Troy Nielsen, a 24-year veteran of the department who patrols on one of the bikes, says Chief Dave Zibolski asked why the motorcycle patrols were parked when he came to Fargo nearly four years ago.
“He asked why the machines were gathering dust in the garage,” Nielsen said. “He said, ‘let’s put them back to use.’ I think he really wants to see us utilize all of the resources we have for both traffic enforcement and crime prevention.”
Nielsen says public reaction to the motorcycles is mixed.
“You get the waves from the people who really enjoy and support us. I think everybody likes to see us out,” Nielsen said. “There are a few groups of motorcycle riders that think it’s appropriate to ride in manners that are not productive and shouldn’t be ridden on the city streets.”
Nielsen says reaction from those pulled over also varies.
“If we have somebody that’s going 100 mph in a 50 (mph zone), we might ask where the fire is,” Nielsen said. “Sometimes it’s shock. Sometimes it’s the, ‘well, you got me. I know what I did wrong.’ I think, if you just explain to the operator of the vehicle why you stopped them and what’s going to happen subsequently to the stop, they’re pretty good about it.”
The bikes have two fixed radars and a hand-held device.
Nielsen says 64th and 72nd Avenues S. are often a primary focus for the motorcycles where residents have complained about speeding through their neighborhoods.
Nielsen is the resource officer at South High during the school year.
Comments