 
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 2074
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 12:22 am: |    |
I know the name, but can't picture him. Darn....the fog of time gets foggier every day...... |
Dtctygrl
Member
Username: Dtctygrl
Post Number: 20
Registered: 03-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 10:13 am: | |
Ray1936: please keep the stories coming! I agree with Ravine that you definitely do need to write a book. |
1953
Member
Username: 1953
Post Number: 1469
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 10:16 am: | |
Thanks for the insight Ray1936! |
Stinger4me
Member
Username: Stinger4me
Post Number: 79
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 10:39 am: | |
For those of us 60+ the important thing is to realize the days change and we realize there is a fog. We'll have to worry when we don't know what day it is or "What the hell is fog?" |
Spiritofdetroit
Member
Username: Spiritofdetroit
Post Number: 651
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 12:02 pm: | |
ray1936 - please write a book. I will buy it 
in the meantime, keep sharing stories |
Karl_jr
Member
Username: Karl_jr
Post Number: 125
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 12:57 pm: | |
Any Motor stories stick out from others?? |
Lefty2
Member
Username: Lefty2
Post Number: 307
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 2:07 pm: | |
Great news officers are visible on the street. Whats is kind of sad is that cops doing their jobs gets news as something surprising. |
The_ed
Member
Username: The_ed
Post Number: 26
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 2:30 pm: | |
You'd think that because of gas prices there would be more cops walking their beats as opposed to driving. I've seen them on bikes as far north as 7 mile. |
Focusonthed
Member
Username: Focusonthed
Post Number: 1362
Registered: 02-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 3:04 pm: | |
I was surprised to see police on the beat when I moved to Chicago. I wasn't from Detroit proper, but was there a lot, and never saw them outside, unless directing traffic.
Here, the guy in my neighborhood is probably 65 years old, but hey...he's got eyes, a badge, a radio, and a gun, and that's what counts. |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 2077
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 5:41 pm: | |
Motor stories, Karl? Oh, yeah!
In early 1965 I really got tired of working the midnight shift (12 M - 8:00 a.m.) every third month, so I put in a transfer to the Motorcycle Traffic Bureau (as it was then called). In March the transfer came through, and started motorcycle training in April.
There were twelve of us, and had the Lee Marvin movie come out a decade earlier, I'm sure we'd of been called the dirty dozen. Twelve Harleys were stripped down to the bare minimum and taken to the water intake grounds on Belle Isle by the old timers for us. So, on April, 1965, on beautiful Belle Isle, I sat on a motorcycle for the first time and started thinking maybe midnights weren't so bad after all.
The bike, all 1200 cc's of it, seemed to weigh a ton. Fortunately, among the few things left on the bike were the crash, or rocker, bars. If you did drop it on its side, you could easily rock it on the crash bars and pop it back up without too much trouble.
It was four weeks of training, and it was run like a boot camp, with the drill instructors being like drill instructors are supposed to be. Infractions meant pushups in the mud, of which there seemed to be plenty. After the first day, I got home about 5:00 p.m., filled the tub with hot water, and just stayed there for an hour. My wife still kids me about it.
Soon we were moving along pretty good, though. We learned to do square corners (locking up the rear brake and skidding it 90 degrees) and learning NOT to use the front brake alone. We had races. SLOW races. Last one across the finish line was the winner. That's the real test of a bike rider. Anyone can go fast. Only a pro can creep. Oh...if your foot went down, you were disqualified. Any of you bike riders out there...if you want to improve your handling skills, practice slow riding.
Later on, we drove the bikes into the Detroit River up to the axles to learn how to handle water. I figured if I kept my wheels in the track of the guy ahead of me, I'd be okay. But my crash bar struck a submerged rock, and the next thing I knew I was headed for Canada. The bike finally went down, and if anyone wants to know how cold the Detroit River is in April, just ask me.
Those old Harleys were kick starters, and on a cold day, it took a helluva kick to get 'em going in the morning. I look at today's motor officers with their push-button starting and think to myself, "candy-ass"...... They also had the foot clutch and hand shift instead of foot shift and hand clutch like today. Made for a real delicate touch making a left from behind a car, because your left foot was on the clutch; you couldn't drop it. But today's bikes make more sense.
We did our hill climbing out at Rouge Park. Going up the hill wasn't hard, and going down was real easy. But then we had to go 3/4ths up the hill, make a U turn by turning left, and come back down. With that left hand foot clutch, that was a bear. One of our guys, Phil Arreola, lost it, went down and off the bike. He stood up only to realize his bike was still upright and coming downhill right at him. I never saw a guy move faster downhill in all my life. Phil later became the Chief of Police in Milwaukee, and had that job when the Jeffrey Dahmer case broke. Phil didn't last long there.
The last two days in training saw us back in uniform on our bikes, all put back together with the windshield, saddlebags, etc. The entire class was sent out to one beat just to get used to mixing in traffic. The beat they selected was Davison, up around McNichols, on the east side. The beat was only two miles long, so imagine seeing twelve motorcycle officers (plus three drill instructors on cycles) in a two-mile stretch. Man, Detroiters were totally GOOD drivers that day on E. Davison.
That month of motorcycle training is among those that really stand out in my mind on reflection. I stayed there for six years, and looked forward to going to work each day. You can't ask for much better than that.
|
Stinger4me
Member
Username: Stinger4me
Post Number: 80
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 5:47 pm: | |
Were you there during the time Gene Mozel was there?
Stinger |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 2078
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 6:49 pm: | |
Yup, big Mo was there. He was on a different shift than mine, though. |
The_rock
Member
Username: The_rock
Post Number: 1988
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 7:06 pm: | |
Mrs. Ray36---You had better get this guy off the computer. He may come back here and sign up for another stint. He is one fired up cop!•••
KQA414 --- all the way. |
Stinger4me
Member
Username: Stinger4me
Post Number: 81
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 7:34 pm: | |
That sounds like George Rawls, midnight dispatcher on the eastern district, Precincts 5, 7 and 15, Okay Pal.
One of the finest examples of motorcycle riding I ever witnessed was the MTB Drill Team put on the exhibition in front of Police Headquarters. It was very impressive. The two lines of motorcycles doing the serpentine is something to behold as was the charge.
I recall Ron Fournier who worked at MTB. Quite a fine gentleman.
Stinger |
Karl_jr
Member
Username: Karl_jr
Post Number: 126
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 8:28 pm: | |
Again a great story Ray, thanks for sharing. Where were you assigned during the riots?
(Message edited by karl jr. on October 11, 2007) |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 2080
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 9:04 pm: | |
Stinger, Ron was one of the biggest, strongest guys I ever met. When he started a Harley with the old kick pedal, he didn't bring his foot down on the pedal, he just grabbed the handlebars and jerked the bike up to him.
Well, no, he didn't really, but we all used to say he could.
Karl, I was at Motor during the riots. But I won't talk about the riots. It was the week Detroit died, and I'll not dwell on that. |
Stinger4me
Member
Username: Stinger4me
Post Number: 82
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 9:23 pm: | |
I think there was a guy at MTB and his name may have been Jon Pomela. They lived on St. Marys. I knew Austgen after he left MTB, I don't think he did the bikes though. |
Lefty2
Member
Username: Lefty2
Post Number: 311
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 10:09 pm: | |
ray1936, from someone i heard from, different station, time maybe?
Did you ever have to be present at a New Years gun welcoming at a station. Maybe a duck and hide situation. |
Karl_jr
Member
Username: Karl_jr
Post Number: 127
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 10:18 pm: | |
True enough Ray, I'll respect that. It really was the week Detroit died. Did you ever know "Smitty" at motor? I remember My brother said when he was working newyears eve in a motor car they would stay under the overpasses until it calmed down.
(Message edited by karl_jr. on October 11, 2007) |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 2083
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 10:18 pm: | |
Jon Pomella was called Crusher. Another big guy. Austgen I didn't know. And Lefty, you've got me there so far. |
Stinger4me
Member
Username: Stinger4me
Post Number: 83
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 10:34 pm: | |
Ray1936, how much did you have with the guys from the Mounted barns at Rouge Park. The toboggan hills were only a short distance from them. The name Bob Manor sticks out in my mind, think he was at Motor for a bit.
Stinger |
Granmontrules
Member
Username: Granmontrules
Post Number: 201
Registered: 01-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 10:50 pm: | |
Hey can you guys all get a room or something? |
Lefty2
Member
Username: Lefty2
Post Number: 315
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 10:55 pm: | |
turn the channel if the program doesn't suit you. |
Karl_jr
Member
Username: Karl_jr
Post Number: 129
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 11:44 pm: | |
gal |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 2084
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 12:40 am: | |
Can't please everyone.
Didn't have much to do with mounted, although I did pick up a horseshoe from the barns just before I retired. Had it chrome plated, and it hangs out on my patio today. Nice souvenir. |
Stinger4me
Member
Username: Stinger4me
Post Number: 86
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 8:05 am: | |
In the spring when the bikes came back out, they might turn off the ignition while driving and then hit the key. That loud pop usually made the horses jump. |
Kathleen
Member
Username: Kathleen
Post Number: 2522
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 8:12 am: | |
Great thread! Very interesting reading...
Ray: Did you know Ed Ploe? He's my best friend's dad. |
Stinger4me
Member
Username: Stinger4me
Post Number: 87
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 8:14 am: | |
There may not be a million stories out there but there are quite a few. I have to agree with Kathleen, interesting stories. |
Karl_jr
Member
Username: Karl_jr
Post Number: 130
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 8:43 am: | |
Thanks for your stories Ray, I appreciate them. |
Unclefrank
Member
Username: Unclefrank
Post Number: 105
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 9:45 am: | |
Hey Ray, did you know a guy named Jim Nichol? When I worked at the DMC, he was a retired Detroit cop, and said he worked motorcycles. |