Motorcycle
Drill
Team : History | Motorcycle Drill Team FAQs
Motorcycle Drill Team
The Motorcycle Drill Team is the Departments' premiere Escort
Unit and provides VIP motorcade escorts in the lower mainland, working
in
conjunction with the RCMP Protective Services Section. The VPD
Motorcycle Drill Team has been rated as Canada's Foremost Escort Unit,
safely
and efficienty escorting many dignitaries from around the world and
earning praise from
security services worldwide.
Established
in
1954 by Sgt. "Cookie" Ryan and the members of the traffic
section, the Motorcycle Drill Team today is known widely across Canada.
The team has entertained and thrilled
thousands of people throughout B.C. and as far away as Calgary,
Vancouver Island, and Palm Springs, performing a series of
maneuvers that demonstrate riding skills and machine capabilities.
Collision avoidance, tight radius turns, hard acceleration, and braking
are all included in the set of seventeen maneuvers.
Employing Harley
Davidson Road King motorcycles exclusively, the team is comprised
of active members of the Vancouver Police Department and consists of 15
inspector / sergeant / constables from the
Traffic Enforcement Unit, as well as a Liason NCO.
Vancouver motorcycle officers ride twelve months of the year
in their
regular enforcement duties. Drill Team activities are separate from
their regular duties and members join the Drill Team
on a voluntary basis.
The team
practices weekly throughout the drill season which begins in March and
ends on September. Each year, the team participates in
approximately 12 parades in the Vancouver area and other venues in the
Pacific Rim. Recent
performances include the Calgary Stampede Parade, the West Seattle
Seafair Parade, the Victoria May Day Parade, and numerous parades
located in Greater Vancouver and Vancouver Island communities.
The team also involves itself in community service and charity
fundraising events whenever possible, paritipating in events such as
the Children's Hospital
Fun Run, the Sunshine Foundation events and the Children's Wish
Foundations. Kops for Kids night in December is a popular well-attended
event
sponsored by the Drill Team. Monetary donations and toys are
collected and distributed through the VPD's School Liaison Unit to inner city schools.
2009 Schedule
The Motorcycle Drill Team's 2010 schedule will be posted in March. Please check back then for dates and events
2009 Team
- Inspector Schinbein
- Sergeant Grant Meeres
- Corporal Cory Porret
- Constable Lee Buckingham
- Constable Steve Burridge
- Constable Carlo Cividino
- Constable Chris Egge
- Constable Gregory Fodor
- Constable Darren Foster
- Constable Derek Lemcke
- Constable Michael Littlefield
- Constable Mike Lynch
- Constable Jeff Peterson
- Constable Steve Shaw
- Constable Adrian Thomson
- Constable Melissa Yamamoto
In the Community
Since 1954, the Vancouver Police Motorcycle Drill Team has
reached out to people in communities and has entertained children and
adults with exciting displays of riding precision.
As goodwill ambassadors of the City of Vancouver, the Drill
Team has strived to show the personal side of policing and has involved
itself in a number of fundraising and charity events including KOPS for
Kids.
KOPS for Kids
KOPS for Kids is a fundraising event that raises money for
inner city children. The funds are distributed by school liaison
officers to needy kids and all proceeds go directly to the
schools. Tax receipts are available. For further
information about KOPS for Kids or other fundraising events, please
send an email to steve.shaw@vpd.ca or call (604) 717-3535.
Motorcade Escorts
The team also provides VIP motorcycle escorts while working
closely with the RCMP Protective Services Section. The Drill Team
is the official motorcycle escort unit of The Vancouver Police
Department.
The VPD Motorcycle Drill Team has been rated as Canada's
Foremost Escort Team and has escorted numerous Heads of State,
dignitaries, and members of royalty from around the world.