From now until the end of the 110th anniversary celebration over Labor Day Weekend, the Milwaukee Motorcycle Police Department is helping direct the traffic of tens of thousand motorcycles converging to downtown Milwaukee. Of course, the Milwaukee PD has a very long history of riding Harleys. It’s not long after the inception of Harley-Davidson in 1903 that police stations from around the country began ordering motorcycles. Police motorcycles came out in 1908 and the city of Detroit is considered the 1st city in the US to use them. Milwaukee used Harley-Davidson bikes continuously from 1910 until today. Particularities of today’s Police Harleys? Not only the siren, the blue, red and white flashing lights, the solo seat but also in the tour pack a bracket attaching a laptop computer to run people’s names. And what is the most frequent question asked to a member of the motorcycle police unit about his Harley? If special engine work has been performed to make the bike run better and faster. And the answer is no. Not necessary…
Milwaukee Police Department. Did You Know?
Published by August 29th, 2013 in Builders, Editorial and Events.10 Responses to “Milwaukee Police Department. Did You Know?”
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Love these old pics.
Only one cop is smiling!
Rodent. Because he just won pole position in the parade.
If I had chosen to be a cop instead of a convict, I’d have ridden a Harley – being out in the wild instead of in a squad car.
The cop smiling has his hands on his pants,that figures.The guy on the left looks like Hitler,still I guess a lot of cops think like him anyhow:”Vere are yor paperz!”
“If special engine work has been performed to make the bike run better and faster. And the answer is no. Not necessary”
So they WANT the cops to be slower and have maintenance issues?
Great pic ,,
And what is the most frequent question asked to a member of the motorcycle police unit about his Harley? If special engine work has been performed to make the bike run better and faster. And the answer is: depends on what I can get away with under “safety concerns and updates” when they come in the shop for service.
Cyril We are nearing completion on a accurate restoration on a 34 VLD that was originally purchased and used by the Milwaukee Police Department. It was sold by the local dealership in late 35 from the fleet. The bike was taken to California and back to Milwaukee in 37 on the owners honeymoon and used daily, a side car (also a 34 according to the Id tag) was added soon afterwards. somewhere about 1942 the owner removed the sidecar because a problem with the son and daughter involved in a (fight) of sorts while riding to/from the farm. How Do I know this ????? I am re working this bike for the son that was in that side car in 1942. Back when he was old enough to drive legally he was given that bike by his father and used it up through the late sixties, got married to a gal he courted while he used that bike to take her out on dates. The bike was parked in a barn for all of these years with only a kicking through occasionally done to keep her (freed up). The stories that couple have about the use of that bike while on the farm are great. He had a cheap paint job put on the bike in the early sixties (red/black) that we were able to carefully remove, revealing the original olive green/black paint work and the striping underneath so we can get it right as it was done by the factory. The current owners goal was to take the bike back to how him and his father had it prior to the repaint in the sixties (some additional chrome pieces added back then) and hand it down to his son.
What’s with the dude in the upper right with the bow tie? Is he really an ice cream man who was pulling an early photo bomb?