West Linn’s new motorcycle patrol officer wins Rookie of the Year in international competition

You already might have seen Officer Garrett Hoffman at work.

Maybe you’ve spotted him maneuvering his police motorcycle through traffic to catch up with a speeder. Maybe you’ve seen him pull over a distracted driver who was yakking on his cellphone. Or maybe you watched him quietly slip into a good vantage point so he can watch for traffic-safety violators driving by.

But you haven’t seen his trophy.

Hoffman, who has been the West Linn Police Department’s “motor officer” since April, was named Rookie of the Year by the North American Motor Officers Association. He took home the trophy after three days of motorcycle-handling competitions last month in Yakima, Wash., where the association held its annual convention.

“I am proud to get the award,” said Hoffman, a 2½-year WLPD veteran. “Really, it shows what good training I got.”

Sgt. Ron Hoesly, Hoffman’s day-shift patrol supervisor, also gave Hoffman good grades. He said he is very happy with Hoffman’s performance and his view of the job.

“He is doing an outstanding job,” Hoesly

said. “He’s great to have on my shift. He always has a positive attitude.”

Police departments like having motorcycle officers on the road because they are so effective at traffic enforcement. Their bikes are more easily maneuverable than a patrol car and can get in and out of tight spaces. They also are easier to conceal if an officer wants to monitor traffic passing through a trouble spot identified by citizen complaints. The bikes even can go off-road in some situations and they can carry practically all the gear you find in a patrol cruiser.

Of course, a motorcycle officer is exposed to the elements – rain, wind, sleet and what have you. They also can’t help transport suspects to jail or haul big, heavy items.

Regardless of the challenges, Hoffman feels very much at home on WLPD’s Honda ST1300, a husky sport-touring bike outfitted for law enforcement use. Practically everything on the bike folds up or tucks into a special spot, making it the “Swiss Army knife” of two-wheelers.

“I practically grew up on dirt bikes,” Hoffman said. “I’ve always ridden dirt bikes, so it’s been good to learn how to handle a street bike, too.”

Hoffman put his name in the hopper as soon as he heard WLPD was looking for a new motor officer. After he was selected for a four-year rotation, he went through a two-week class at Hillsboro Stadium hosted by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The class covered all aspects of bike-handling by directing officers to ride through increasingly difficult patterns of traffic cones.

Working with Portland Police Bureau motor officers, Hoffman learned how to make safe traffic stops and how to adapt to the differences between working on a motorcycle and working in a patrol car.

After completing the course, he was certified as a motor officer by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.

But then, after only a brief time on the road, Hoffman entered the North American Motor Officers Association’s competitions May 16-19 in Yakima, where his star really soared. The association is dedicated to promoting safety and professionalism among motor officers, and the convention drew competitors from police agencies across the Northwest and Canada.

Competing in Honda-rider events, Hoffman worked through cone courses, barrel races like a two-wheel rodeo and “slow races” designed to test how well a rider can balance his bike at low speeds.

Hoffman teamed up with Lake Oswego Officer Denton Veach to ride precise courses in tight formation, their two bikes attached by a string they were not allowed to break. The effect was something like the “Blue Angels of the Road.”

Hoffman’s name has been engraved on the association’s Rookie of the Year trophy, which he can keep for a year – the same system used for the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup. Hoffman will return the trophy next year, so the 2018 Rookie of the Year’s name can be added.

Since returning from Yakima, Hoffman has resumed regular motor patrol, focusing on school zones, crosswalks and problem intersections.

“We get a lot of complaints from citizens about locations where they have observed traffic violations,” Hoffman said. “I try to go where the citizens want me.”

But he also has ridden in solemn funeral processions and was loaned to the Portland Police Bureau for Rose Festival duty.

“The biggest thing with the motor officer job is staying safe,” Hoffman said. “But I think it’s the best job on the Police Department.”