forecast<\/a> calling for cooler temperatures and the chance of rain, the Tampa Police Department\u2019s Motorcycle Unit fine-tuned skills they rely on every year during one of the city\u2019s largest events.<\/p>\nGasparilla presents unique challenges for motorcycle officers, including tight turns, slow-speed maneuvers, and riding just inches apart \u2014 all on pavement that can quickly become slick.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnytime that we have training, whether it\u2019s cold or whatever the conditions are, we still train,\u201d Corporal Keith Brown, with TPD, said. \u201cBecause it is important.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Motor Unit trains monthly and spends much of the year preparing for parade season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brown said the same seven officers make up the team used for every parade, practicing a series of more than a dozen specialized maneuvers designed to balance precision, visibility, and safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cMotors is like one of the things that everybody wants to see,\u201d Brown said. \u201cAdults get excited about it. So, we want to make sure we look good \u2014 but at the same time, we want to keep it safe, because we want everybody in the crowd to be safe too.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the synchronized riding often draws cheers, Brown emphasized that the unit\u2019s core mission is crowd control and route security.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before the parade even begins, officers patrol the route to prevent people from blocking off space and to keep pathways clear.<\/p>\n
Rain could add another layer of difficulty, especially once beads and debris start piling up on the streets.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe beads can really be a challenge,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThe bikes will wash out. The front tire will wash out on the beads. It is a challenge \u2014 but these guys are good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tampa\u2019s Motorcycle Unit carries more than a century of history. The Tampa Police Department established the unit in 1910, making it one of the oldest motorcycle units in Florida and the nation \u2014 a legacy officers say they take seriously.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe select the best of the best to come here,\u201d Brown said. \u201cWe put them through a rigorous process. The pin that we wear on our class uniform \u2014 that motor wheel \u2014 you\u2019ve learned that motor wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown said training prepares officers to operate rain or shine, even if wet conditions slow the pace of the parade.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will do the same events,\u201d he said. \u201cThese guys have trained for it. Whether it\u2019s raining or sunny out \u2014 we do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Tampa braces for what could be another record-setting Gasparilla, officers say days like this ensure they\u2019re ready for whatever conditions arise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TPD’s Motorcycle Unit prepares for Gasparilla, working on skills to prepare for wet conditions and safety amidst tight…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132894,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-132893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132893\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}