Question about Police Escorted Motorcycle Rides

**casscorridor65** · May-07-23, 01:50 PM

Just curious: How do these motorcycle groups get police escorted rides with the cops blocking all traffic so they don't have to stop at red lights?

I've seen this a number of times with the Detroit Police Department. Today, for the first time that I have seen, there were 8 Wayne County Sheriffs escorting a motorcycle club/group on a ride down Woodward.

Do the groups PAY for these cops? If not, it seems a waste of taxpayer money. Just curious how this works. It's only May and I've already seen this at least 5 times this year.

Thanks

**Honky Tonk** · May-07-23, 02:00 PM

Originally Posted by casscorridor65

Just curious: How do these motorcycle groups get police escorted rides with the cops blocking all traffic so they don't have to stop at red lights?

I've seen this a number of times with the Detroit Police Department. Today, for the first time that I have seen, there were 8 Wayne County Sheriffs escorting a motorcycle club/group on a ride down Woodward.

Do the groups PAY for these cops? If not, it seems a waste of taxpayer money. Just curious how this works. It's only May and I've already seen this at least 5 times this year.

Thanks

VERY good questions. I've also seen sidestreets closed off by the DPD, and escorting funeral processions.

**Jimaz** · May-07-23, 03:45 PM

If they were leaving involuntarily, I could imagine why an escort would be appropriate. You know, to ensure they actually left in an orderly fashion.

Maybe Ray1936 can give some insight.

**Ray1936** · May-07-23, 04:43 PM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

Maybe Ray1936 can give some insight.

Probably a funeral escort. Been in a few of them. But, jeez, I've been away from metro Detroit for 39 years now, and really don't know what the current criteria is for an escort.

I'll be back in Detroit in August. Maybe some of us can meet up?

**casscorridor65** · May-08-23, 04:15 PM

I didn't see anything that would remotely suggest it was a funeral.

Originally Posted by Ray1936

Probably a funeral escort. Been in a few of them. But, jeez, I've been away from metro Detroit for 39 years now, and really don't know what the current criteria is for an escort.

I'll be back in Detroit in August. Maybe some of us can meet up?

**Kathleen** · May-08-23, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by Ray1936

I'll be back in Detroit in August. Maybe some of us can meet up?

Hi Ray! Give us a heads up a couple weeks beforehand so that we might set a date and place to meet up.

**Sehv313** · May-08-23, 09:19 PM

Originally Posted by casscorridor65

I didn't see anything that would remotely suggest it was a funeral.

I had seen the same ride out you had seen yesterday around noon, but the cops escorting the bikers were not DPD they were Wayne County Sherrif's. So I'm assuming the deceased was one of them? Because it definitely seemed like a funeral procession.

**Richard** · May-09-23, 12:24 AM

As part of a funeral service you can pay for police escort,we did it for my mothers funeral but the detail is not allowed to leave the possession,some people know that but just go around them anyways.

Not sure about the rules up there but we used to hire off duty officers for club security it’s like their part time job,in uniform.

Some of the malls around here also hire off duty police for added security.

They are just like us and pick up side gigs to make extra money,they are in uniform and not in a official capacity as in on the taxpayers dime.

We used to pay the police union and then the police union would pay them.

Having said that,if it is a “outlaw” biker group or the morons that jump on qauds and dirt bikes and terrorize the public there will be a police presence in the name of public safety plus it makes for good intelligence gathering.

**Ray1936** · May-09-23, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by Kathleen

Hi Ray! Give us a heads up a couple weeks beforehand so that we might set a date and place to meet up.

Will do!

**casscorridor65** · May-09-23, 08:08 PM

I get throwing on the uniform and working security. But what about the cars? Can they just drive them anytime they feel like it???

Don't most funerals like, um...require a deceased person and maybe a hearse??? Like I said, I didn't see any indication of a funeral ride. It just looked like a ride to downtown, which last I knew, there were no cemeteries. Wierd

Originally Posted by Richard

As part of a funeral service you can pay for police escort,we did it for my mothers funeral but the detail is not allowed to leave the possession,some people know that but just go around them anyways.

Not sure about the rules up there but we used to hire off duty officers for club security it’s like their part time job,in uniform.

Some of the malls around here also hire off duty police for added security.

They are just like us and pick up side gigs to make extra money,they are in uniform and not in a official capacity as in on the taxpayers dime.

We used to pay the police union and then the police union would pay them.

Having said that,if it is a “outlaw” biker group or the morons that jump on qauds and dirt bikes and terrorize the public there will be a police presence in the name of public safety plus it makes for good intelligence gathering.

**Richard** · May-09-23, 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by casscorridor65

I get throwing on the uniform and working security. But what about the cars? Can they just drive them anytime they feel like it???

Don't most funerals like, um...require a deceased person and maybe a hearse??? Like I said, I didn't see any indication of a funeral ride. It just looked like a ride to downtown, which last I knew, there were no cemeteries. Wierd

You have to be more specific as to the motor cycle group,was it like a “outlaw” group or a private motorcycle club or a bunch of ruffians tearing up the streets on qauds ?

But you can hire them for any escort/security service,they do use official vehicles but you also pay for that because they are technically operating in an unofficial capacity and the taxpayers are not expected to cover that.

That’s why if they are blocking the street and you go around them,they will not chase you,but they do have radios.

“More than 150 police officials gathered early Friday morning to pay tribute to those who died in the line of duty, continuing a decades-old tradition that marked 50 years in 2023.
The 50th annual Interfaith Memorial service began with a 7:30 a.m. roll call at Campus Martius Park, followed by a half-mile march that concluded at Old St. Mary's Church in Greektown. Police officers in full uniform marched through the streets, some carrying portraits of those who've died.”

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...t/70185919007/

You may have been seeing something related to those activities.

There may have been a group of officers that rode as a group in memory on another date.

Where I am at there was an escort service that they have been going after for years because the company was pretending to be actual police and you had to really look close because it was that hard to know that they were not actually police,they even forced people off to the side of the road like trying to pull them over.

They were allowed to block intersections etc as a private escort company,from a few feet away they looked just like the police,they fooled a lot of people but one that they did not whooped his ass after he aggressively made him pull over.

I am not sure about the laws up there but you can be sure what every they were doing was within the confines of the law and not on the taxpayers dime because none of them are going to risk their job being that stupid.

It’s not like in the 70s 80s when you could hire them to protect your drug shipments or transport stuff but you cannot have 1/2 the police force on the payroll anymore either or place’s like Miami up to 70% of the force.

It was because of those days that now everything is closely watched and scrutinized.

But in the case you saw,you can have an escort to wherever you want it is not restricted just to the trip from the church to the cemetery,they may have been heading to the favorite bar downtown where the deceased used to hang out,you hire the officers for the day or strictly for the trip from the church to the cemetery.

My mother passed in 1995 ish and it was $2800 for the escort of 10-15 miles to the cemetery,4 officers on motorcycles,they looked like they were actually having fun because it was full throttle light to light.

We used to pay $250 in the 80s for night club door officer for 5 hours and $500 in the 90s,the last club the FBI was always hanging out in the parking lot wasting taxpayers money so there was really no need to have a door officer.

But the union who collected payment probably took their cut so not sure what the officers actually took home.

In comparison we used to sponsor wrestlers careers and they would work door security/bouncers for $100 per night.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · May-10-23, 05:56 AM

Damn Richard, what don't you know? Anything?

**Richard** · May-10-23, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid

Damn Richard, what don't you know? Anything?

A lot,everybody is different and I never took one job and worked it until retirement and really suck at routine as in once I learned a trade or started a business,it was no fun after things started going smoothly,diversity in knowledge was my form of survival while never relying on one path.

Its easy now,you can just go on YouTube and watch a 5 minute video where in the past we had to learn how to do something in order to do it,or the school of hard knocks.

It’s a trade off though because there are also a lot of things I suck at that others point out,like math,being able to convey a message in 3 words or less etc.

But I also hung out with people 30-40 years my senior,you have a tendency to learn more from people that have been there done that then from books.

There are a lot of things you know about that I do not,along with others but if you do not share them,I cannot learn anything from you either.

I kinda think that’s what it is really about though,sharing gained knowledge and maybe it will help somebody else in one form or another.

**Jimaz** · May-10-23, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid

Damn Richard, what don't you know? Anything?

You just had to go and put another quarter in that slot, didn't you? LOL!

**Richard** · May-10-23, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

You just had to go and put another quarter in that slot, didn't you? LOL!

I think that is called - deflection - you personally chose to be traumatized by a post that you could have simply ignored but chose to blame somebody else because you chose not to.

I view it as respectful when somebody asks a question to do one’s best to answer it,they spent the time to ask it and my time is no more valuable then theirs.

So suck it up buttercup.