Police transport
The maneuverability of the motorcycle on crowded streets offer advantages not provided by larger, more traditional police vehicles.
The motorcycle's relatively small size allows it to get to accident scenes more quickly when incidents such as traffic collisions slow down access by four-wheel vehicles.
Kawasaki Police Motorcycles, which were built for the US market in Lincoln, Nebraska, ceased production in September 2005.
[4] Some police forces also use scooters within towns, or special-purpose machines such as unmarked (covert),[5] or off-road motorcycles.
Other marques such a BSA were used by some forces although only the Velocette LE 'noddy-bike' model proved as popular with the police as the Triumphs.
[10] In 2020, electric kick scooters were trialed by municipal police in Honfleur[11][12] and Vias, Hérault[13] in France, Santa Barbara and California State University.
[14][15] Additionally, two- and three-wheeled electric standing scooters (such as Segways) are commonly also used for parking enforcement and in a patrol capacity similar to bicycles.
Furthermore, if the criminal attempts to flee on foot, the riding police officer has a speed advantage while able to quickly dismount if necessary.
Other companies offer police, fire and EMS specific models, including Volcanic Manufacturing in Olympia, Washington.
They continue to serve in remote areas and in metropolitan areas where their day-to-day function may be picturesque or ceremonial, but they are also employed in crowd control because of their mobile mass and height advantage and increasingly in the UK for crime prevention and high visibility policing roles.
Mounted police may be employed for specialized duties ranging from patrol of parks and wilderness areas, where police cars would be impractical or noisy, to riot duty, where the horse serves to intimidate those whom it is desired to disperse through its larger size, or may be sent in to snatch trouble makers or offenders from the crowd.
In Canada, urban police forces use mounted patrols for areas inaccessible by motorized units.
Police helicopters are normally equipped with variants such as night vision, FLIR, infrared, surveillance cameras, radar, special radio systems and engines, loudspeaker systems, tear gas dispensers, searchlights, winches and winch cables, flashing light beacons, police rescue equipment and special seating.
They are usually employed on major rivers,[20] in enclosed harbors near cities or in places where a stronger presence than that offered by the Harbourmaster or Coast Guard is needed.
