Salinas police unveiling new Enduro motorbikes
The Salinas Police Department is unveiling four dual-sport, Enduro motorbikes that are designed to be versatile, perfect for chasing suspects through different terrain and in tight spaces.
Police say the Enduro Program has been over a year in the making, and on top of helping catch the bad guys, they hope that it will also help reach out to the community.
“These bikes can go off-roading even though we’re in Salinas, so they can go up and down curbs very easily and sidewalks, get into parking lots. And the maneuverability is much easier with these than it would be with the bigger motorcycles,” said Sgt. Brian Johnson of the Salinas Police Department.
There are two Yamahas, which were donated to Salinas Police by another agency, and two Kawasakis, which the department bought themselves. They say it is much cheaper than buying a patrol car.
Officers used these motorbikes to respond to a shooting in Chinatown last Thursday.
“The officers went on two of these and rode around and were able to sneak around the railroad tracks and do all kinds of stuff where you couldn’t do that with a detective car or a police car,” said Sgt. Johnson.
But the department says the bikes’ unique appearance is also a way for officers to be more approachable to the community. Police brought these bikes to the Kiddie Kaper Parade last Saturday to block intersections and to interact with the kids there.
“The kids thought these dirt bikes were pretty cool looking, so they wanted to come out and meet the officers and sit on them and interact with them that way,” said Sgt. Johnson.
“The kids will probably see it and they’ll be attracted to it because it’s a dirt bike and you see dirt bikes like in the X Games,” said Viney Predu, a Salinas resident.
There are six officers on the Enduro Program Team. Police hope to ultimately use these bikes to break down negative perceptions. They will be showcasing them at the California Rodeo this week.
Depending on the budget and how well this program goes, police would like to see a few more of these bikes for the department in the future.
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The Salinas Police Department is putting out its new dual sport Enduro motorbikes this week for the community to see.
The department says it will help with community engagement as well as regular police work.
KION’S Josh Kristianto will have more on what makes these bikes unique at 5 and 6 p.m.
