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Harley-riding Border Patrol agents pass through Batavia, visit Stan's Harley

By Howard B. Owens

This morning, driving down Main Street, Batavia, I spotted a group Border Patrol agents riding Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, and I immediately thought, "I've never seen the Border Patrol on motor bikes before."

I would soon learn, this is an unusual sight -- there is only one motor bike unit with the Border Patrol in the United States, and they're based in Grand Island.

I stopped at an intersection next to the agents and asked one what they were up to and he told me they were headed to Stan's Harley-Davidson -- a pilgrimage of sorts, I gather.

The agents were in town to display their bikes at a Border Patrol co-sponsored golf tournament at Batavia Country Club.

Assistant Chief Mike Hester told me the Border Patrol invested in the Harley unit a year ago, during the previous administration, when the President was looking to double the size of the Border Patrol. Area agents found out that the Buffalo region has the second highest rate of Harley ownership in the nation, so a Harley unit was seen as a way to get into the community and recruit potential agents. Mostly, the Harley unit has been used at bike events and other community events, but they also patrol the tourist areas of Niagara, where heavy pedestrian traffic can make a typical cruiser harder and more dangerous to use.

Pictured are Supervisor Adam Matuszeiuski, Chief Hester, Acting Assistant Chief Andrew Scharnweber and Field Operations Supervisor Jason Heckler.

Stan's Harley was the group's last stop for the day in Genesee County before heading home.

Doug Yeomans

Not to disparage the border patrol but why do taxpayers have to fund a Harley unit? Has anyone checked out the price of a new Harley lately, especially one decked out with all the police gear on it? Would I dare say $40K per bike for a police model? $50K? More? Somehow, I don't think we need gimmicks to recruit new agents.

They're used to patrol tourist areas, it says. Hmmm...If they wanted something more maneuverable and less dangerous to operate in heavy pedestrian traffic areas, why not use something more cost effective like new, sub-compact car, complete with a welfare...errr...cash for clunker deal when they trade in their Crown Victoria cruisers, suburbans and Tahoe's.

This is just flagrant abuse of tax payers money. sorry if this bothers anyone but it's how I feel and how I see it.

Aug 6, 2009, 2:23pm Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Yeah..I totally overlooked that part. They can patrol for how many months out of the year with those? June and July are peak tourists months, maybe August, too. So three months out of the year they're being used at our expense. Wonder what it costs to store them for 9 months..

Aug 6, 2009, 3:22pm Permalink
Chelsea O'Brien

What happened to patrolling large crowds on a bicycle?

Cheaper to buy and maintain, as there would be no gas, no oil, cheaper insurance, more versatile...

Aug 6, 2009, 3:41pm Permalink
Doug Yeomans

But they wouldn't be able to go really really really really really really really really fast chasing down someone suspected of speeding or committing some other minor crime.

Aug 6, 2009, 4:06pm Permalink

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