Wichita Cops Excited to Hop Back on Harleys in 2018

Kansas P.D. is bringing back legendary motorcycle brand by year’s end.

It’s been 15 years since Wichita, Kansas, has seen cops on motorcycles. Back in 2002, many of the Kansas city’s patrol bikes were auctioned off and the motorcycle unit’s police officers were reassigned to other departments. However, since that time, traffic citations have fallen and fatalities have risen. The police department hopes to reverse that trend in part by bringing back cops on bikes. And not just any kind of bike. These officers will be on Harleys!

Wichita’s Twister City Harley-Davidson recently helped to unveil the arrival of eight new Harley-Davidson Electra Glide motorcycles that will be used by the officers. The bikes were funded by a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation and the federal government.

The motorcycle cops are expected to be on the streets by the end of 2017 and will be focused on cutting down on accidents during morning and evening commutes. Lieutenant Jeff Allen of the Wichita Police Department said the bikes are valuable simply because of their maneuverability.

“Sometimes we’re en route to a traffic accident, and we can’t get to [it] because we have maybe all three lanes of a highway blocked,” he said at the unveiling. “So a motorcycle can get over, they can maneuver between cars, down the medians, things like that, where a car can’t get.”

The bikes are part of bringing back the centralized traffic unit to the Wichita Police Department. Back in June, Allen told Wichita Eagle that a recent operational assessment indicated that bringing traffic enforcement under one roof “would be a better plan” for making the city safer for motorists.

Since 1965, the Harley-Davidson Electra Glide has been the choice of riders who want the essential touring machine. And now, with the passing power of the all-new Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine, all new front and rear suspension, powerful Reflex Linked Brembo brakes with ABS, and powerful LED headlamps and spot lamps, the bikes are even better.

Dan Gregory

Dan Gregory is a longtime journalist and editor whose over 20 years of professional experience includes covering the automotive world for Los Angeles' EDGE Magazine before joining the Internet Brands Auto Group team. Dan currently contributes to Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Rennlist, JK Forum and Team Speed, among others

When not covering the auto industry and motorcycle events for the Harley-Davidson enthusiast site H-D Forums, the F-150-driving auto enthusiast can usually be found doing donuts and leaving smoke in local parking lots in the general Iowa area while listening to Slipknot.

He can be reached at autoeditors@internetbrands.com.