MSU police Officer Shaun Mills rides his motorcycle with precision around small orange cones on one of the hardest courses a rider can be tested on.
Scoring 98 percent on his final exam, Mills has just graduated Police Motorcycle Operator Training, a program run by MSU's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
As program instructor, Doug Wolfe handed Mills his graduation certificate he made mention of Mills high score and stopping ability.
"Mr. balanced stop," Wolfe said. "This guy could eat a sandwich on the balanced stop."
Mills is one of four MSU police officers who graduated from the two-week training session on Friday.
The officers will be part of the department's first motorcycle unit starting this summer. MSU police Sgt. Alan Haller and Officer Mike Cantrell also will be part of the unit.
They both completed training in April.
Officers Mills, Mike Villerot, Steve Brandman and Jerry Roudebush completed 80 hours of class and skill exercises on obstacle courses.
All the officers scored 89 percent or better on the test.
Showing off their talents for MSU police Chief Jim Dunlap, the graduating officers easily rode a training course in the parking lot that Wolfe said was not only the toughest in the state, but probably the country.
The training challenged the officers, said Daniel Lee, director of the MSU Police and Civilian Motorcycle training courses .
"A lot of people describe it as being the most difficult and rigorous training that they've had since boot camp, whether in the military or the police academy," Lee said.
The training simulated the problems riders can experience when riding in the city. Lee said the addition of motorcycles would make the campus more accessible to police.
"A motorcycle can get in and around buildings, down sidewalks and around the river," Lee said.
"A motorcycle can go basically anywhere a bike can go. We can put people in areas that were previously inaccessible."
Motorcycles will make officers more visible in high traffic areas and easier to approach, improving relations between civilians and officers and cutting down on traffic violations, Lee said
"Everybody loves a Harley," he said. "They have a direct line of communication. On a Harley the officer doesn't have to wind down the windows and get out."
Haller, who has been patrolling campus on a motorcycle for two weeks, said he has been well-received by the MSU community when patrolling on his bike.
"I've received a lot of thumbs-up and head nods," Haller said. "People have even come up to me while I'm making traffic stops to ask me questions (about the bike)."
The program is currently on a one year lease and if Dunlap decides to keep the program, four new cycles will be purchased to replace this year's models.
