By Marisa O’Neil, The Los Angeles Times
On his first day back to work, just a month after a car knocked him off his motorcycle, Costa Mesa Police Officer Jose Torres got right back on the proverbial horse that threw him.
Torres and seven other Costa Mesa Police motorcycle officers showed off their riding skills this week at the Orange County Traffic Officers’ Assn. Police Motorcycle Training and Skills Competition in Huntington Beach. About 40 agencies from as far away as Oakland took part in the annual event, which brought together more than 200 officers who share a love of one of police work’s more dangerous assignments.
“It’s amazing how it’s in the blood,” said Torres, whose shoulder was broken in the accident. “My wife doesn’t want me to ride anymore. But here I am.”
Another injured Costa Mesa officer, Dennis Dickens, came with his 1-year-old daughter to watch his friends ride. Dickens is still recovering from a serious crash in June as he rode home on the San Diego Freeway.
In that accident, another motorcyclist, who was allegedly traveling more than 100 miles per hour, struck Dickens’ motorcycle from behind, knocking him off. The man in that crash is awaiting trial on drunken driving charges.
Dickens is undergoing physical therapy and is waiting for doctors to tell him he can ride again.
“I miss this,” Dickens said as he watched the Wednesday competition. “It’s good to get out here and smell the exhaust.”
The event serves as a fundraiser for the families of motorcycle officers killed in the line of duty. This year, four motorcycle officers in the state died, said Huntington Beach Police Officer Richard Wright.
More than half of Oakland’s 25 motorcycle officers brought their huge Harley-Davidson Road Kings down to compete and perform a team drill in honor of fellow officer Will Seuis, Oakland officer Randy Pope said. Seuis, 39, died in July when a truck struck his motorcycle as he was riding home from his shift.
Wednesday’s competition included traffic cones set into a series of courses, testing officers’ skills. Officers had to maneuver their motorcycles around curves, weave in and out of cones and turn sharp circles — without knocking over any of the cones or dropping a foot to the pavement.
Doing that kind of work in a competitive but controlled environment helps prepare the officers to avoid accidents in the real world, said Costa Mesa Police Chief John Hensley. Most motorcycle officers are injured by careless drivers, not through their own mistakes, he said.
“Believe it or not, these are the skills that keep you alive when someone pulls in front of you,” Newport Beach Police Officer Tracy McKenzie said. “Even if you don’t do well [in the competition], it’s good to shake the rust off.”
McKenzie and fellow Newport Beach Police officers Brian Haas and Dave Darling won first place overall in the BMW competition. The competition was divided into separate categories for larger motorcycles, like the BMWs and Harley-Davidsons and for the smaller Kawasaki motorcycles.