AUBURN - Soon city police will be able to go hog wild on the streets of Auburn.

Auburn Police Chief Gary Giannotta ordered two Harley-Davidson motorcycles to join the department's fleet in response to a program City Manager Mark Palesh created in next season's budget, beginning July 1. However, the two men found monies in the current budget to jump start a small motorcycle traffic patrol.

They aim to have the 2007 Electra-Glides to lead the Memorial Day parade next week. Currently, the two bikes are sitting in an Utica dealership waiting for the extras needed for police vehicles such as radios and strobe lights.

The two motorcycle police will handle traffic enforcement along with the one employee who does it now, but Giannotta said they will be able to respond to certain calls for assistance also. Officers assigned to ride the motorcycles will work at speed control, crowd control, and directing traffic, as well as calls such as loud music, noisy mufflers and vehicle collisions.

Giannotta hopes the duo will reduce speeding around the city. Currently, the day shift has a person on traffic patrol and the rest to respond to calls.

APD Local Union 195 President Tim Cottrell agrees the bikes will make officers more visible, but also may increase the workload for patrol officers who have to handle both traffic and calls.

“We're down two officers, two are injured, so I don't see them getting a lot of use this summer,” Cottrell said.

“Motorcycles are useful, however, I don't know ... I think maybe our money could be better spent,” he said.

The city is leasing the pair of motorcycles for $200 monthly for each, or $4,800 for the year.

“We ended up getting a better deal than I thought,” Palesh said. The city likely will keep the fleet at two motorcycles, he said.

Giannotta carved out funds in the current budget for the motorcycles and accompanying equipment by putting off buying other items already included in the financial plan.

The pending proposed budget cuts back on police car purchases, from the annual goal of six to four, in order to partially offset next year's lease expense. Last year, the police department bought five cars. The department aims to replace half the patrol fleet, six cars, every year.

When on schedule, the cars rack up 50,000 miles by the time they retire, plus major stress on the engine because the cars are continually idling when not in motion. But some APD cars now have 80,000 miles and require maintenance because of changes in the replacement schedule.

“The ones we're taking out of service are beat. They have a lot of mileage,” Giannotta said.

For the motorcycles, the police officers themselves can use their annual uniform stipends to buy personal protection gear. The city will incur the one-time cost of helmets.

Already six police officers have expressed interest in riding the cycles. They will have to take motorcycle training classes at the Syracuse department, Palesh said.

The immediate interest from officers means the manager could use the two-wheeled patrol work as an incentive.

“It's a real plum to be a motorcycle officer,” Palesh said.

Besides the handful of employees who already ride motorcycles, some of the interest may come from the community's positive reception to the riders. Palesh has worked with the motorcycle patrols in two other communities.

The open vehicle makes the officers more visible to the public, and more approachable, he said. Palesh also wants to offer a motorcycle safety class for the general public.

“There's no downside to the community,” he said.

Palesh predicts the motorcycle officers will bring in 2.5 times more tickets than those who ride in cars. Motorcycles sit at an angle when stopped, which isn't very comfortable, said Palesh, a Harley rider himself.

“So they keep going, keep moving,” he said.

That said, officials are not counting on seeing significant hikes in revenues, but the motorcycles will save money in fuel and maintenance. The Harley-Davidson bikes get about 50 miles to the gallon.

Palesh agrees that most of the savings will come if Auburn leaders decide to buy motorcycles through a deal with Harley-Davidson, rather than lease them as the city is doing this year. The Milwaukee-based company allows police departments to purchase the vehicles at close-to-cost prices.

The savings would come when they sell them. City officials could buy a bike for a special deal of $15,000 and sell it in two years for more money than they paid.

The Syracuse Police Department traffic motorcycle patrol have six bikes - three Harley-Davidsons and three Kawasakis - in its fleet. Savings on fuel is one reason the department has kept that patrol going for at least two decades, Syracuse Traffic Division Sgt. Joe Cordone said.

Cordone doesn't see a difference in operation between the motorcycle and the vehicle in terms of tickets or vehicle stops. The department boasts 464 officers, almost 400 more than Auburn, and runs the bikes during the day and night. Giannotta expects to have the bikes out mostly during daylight hours.

“We'll spend the first week getting the bugs out of the system,” Giannotta said.

Cordone said the only operational weakness comes from the same factor that causes the station to use them - size. The small vehicle doesn't allow for officers to take on passengers or transfer prisoners. Riders have to call for patrol cars.

However, bikes can go where places bikes can not by creeping through traffic and obstacles

The Bureau of Justice Statistics stated more than 70 percent of municipal police departments utilize motorcycles and more than 60 percent of county police departments also use the smaller vehicles.

In Auburn, they will hit the roads from roughly April to October. During the winter, the dealership will store them.

Riders can not use motorcycles in inclement weather, Cordone said. Still, employees use the motorcycles during weather when most people are out.

During inclement weather in Auburn, the bikes will remain in the garage, and the officers will use cars.

Staff writer Jessica Soule can be reached at 253-5311, ext 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net