Rolling Meadows may redeploy police motorcycles

Mothballed Rolling Meadows police motorcycles could be resurrected after a failed attempt to sell them for a minimum price last year.

The Rolling Meadows City Council is expected to vote later this month on a proposal to recommission two motorcycles and put them back on patrol.

Police Chief Dave Scanlan said it will take about $500 to ready the motorcycles for duty, plus additional costs for outfitting officers in safety gear and possibly sending an officer to a class that will enable him to her to certify others.

The department has six officers trained to ride the motorcycles. However, one is retiring, another is a detective and a third has been promoted to sergeant.

The motorcycles would be used only during the day for park patrols, speed enforcement and for public relations purposes.

“The public relations provision of this makes it worth its weight in gold,” Scanlan told the city council this week. “It's a positive experience with the public.”

In 1993, the park district bought one motorcycle in the hope of assisting police patrolling the park district and bike trails. In 2008, the city traded in two motorcycles given to it by corporations for new ones, paying a total of $20,395 after the exchange.

“I'm not asking you to buy the motorcycles, I'm suggesting that they're here and to see them sitting in the garage and not being able to use them is painful,” Scanlan said.

The council is scheduled to meet next on June 28.