As of this November, there’s a new type of patrol on the streets of Moorestown.
For the first time since the 1930s, the Moorestown Police Department has deployed a motorcycle unit. For Ptl. George Hubel, the first Moorestown officer certified, the opportunity to patrol the streets of Moorestown on the back of a bike is a long-awaited wish fulfilled.
As an avid recreational rider, Chief Lee Lieber said when he was promoted to chief, he thought about creating a motorcycle unit. For years, the thought was tossed around, but more than six months ago, Lieber and Hubel decided to make the idea a reality.
“Hubel, presently a dedicated recreational rider, approached me, made it clear he was committed to the assignment, and we decided to try to make it happen,” Lieber said.
Hubel graduated from the Philadelphia Police Highway Patrol Motorcycle School on Nov. 17 and has been on the street patrolling since then. He said motorcycle patrol is something he has wanted to do for his entire career, and 25 years later, courtesy of the Corr family’s donation of a 2018 Harley Davidson, he’s finally doing it. Lieber said the Corr family was formerly of Moorestown, and they wanted to show their support for Moorestown law enforcement.
As far back as he can remember, Hubel has been riding bikes. He said at the age of 8, he rode mini bikes, as a teenager he rode dirt bikes and he still rides motorcycles in his free time.
This November, Hubel attended the Philadelphia Police Highway Patrol Motorcycle School, which has instructors certified by Northwestern University. He said despite riding bikes nearly his whole life, the two-week accelerated program had him relearning some facets of bike riding. He said the course encompassed slow cone weaves, panic breaking and how to get around in traffic.
In Lieber’s eyes, having a motorcycle unit enables the department to patrol traffic and special events in a way it wasn’t able to do previously.
“The motorcycle can more easily negotiate through heavy traffic, providing the rider with an advantage in carrying out traffic law enforcement and reaching motor vehicle crashes and other assignments where roadways are blocked,” Lieber said.
For Hubel, patrolling on a motorcycle offers a sensory experience that he wouldn’t get in a patrol car. He said he can hear and smell things that are blocked off in the confines of a squad car, such as the smell of a fire or the voice of an adjacent driver asking for directions.
“It’s totally different than anything I thought it’d be,” Hubel said. “You have so much going on.”
Hubel said between the controls, sirens and head seat, the new way of patrolling has been something of an adjustment.
“It takes awhile to get all that because you’ve been in a patrol car your whole career and now you’re on a motorcycle,” Hubel said.
He said thus far the public has expressed its delight about the new unit. He said the motorcycle is especially well-loved among children and is ideal for maneuvering crowded areas during popular events. On Saturday, Dec. 2, Hubel was to take his first spin as an escort riding along with the Moorestown Lions’ Club’s 57th Annual Holiday Parade.
“The motorcycle is a natural crowd pleaser,” Lieber said.
Currently, Hubel is the only trained officer, but if all goes well, additional officers may get trained in the future, Lieber said.
