The patrol would tame speeders that police cruisers can’t catch, Haney says.

Wanted: Two-wheeled crime-thwarters with mirrored shades and a mustached mug.

Job: To scare some lead from the feet of island motorists.

Though Bainbridge Police chief Matt Haney might word an advertisement for two new motorcycle officers somewhat differently, the need, he believes, remains the same.

“Drivers would know that around any bend, an officer could be waiting,” Haney said, of having motorcycle officers on the Bainbridge traffic beat. “It would change driving habits and make the roads safer for everyone.”

Motorcycle officers already play a role in several Kitsap County police departments. They can lurk around corners, spring on speeders and swivel with ease through tight spaces that would be inaccessible in the standard Caprice Classic.

As of now, no such officers patrol the roads of Bainbridge Island. That’s why Haney, as part of his 2007 budget proposal, is asking the city to create two new motorcycle officer positions.

Doing so would cost roughly $195,000 for the first year, and about $20,000 less for each year after that. The money –which must first be approved by the City Council as part of next year’s city budget – would pay for the equipment, training and salaries of the new officers.

Haney said the department would likely fill the new positions, which would require extensive training, from the ranks of current Bainbridge officers, backfilling their positions with newer cadets.

Having two motorcycle officers would allow Haney to have one motorcycle shift on local roadways every day of the week. In addition to calming island traffic, the new officers would become “traffic specialists” charged with visiting island classrooms to educate young drivers.

“I can’t afford to take a patrol officer off the street,” Haney said of doing more traffic outreach education. “This way we’d have a dedicated traffic unit to perform that function.”

Haney said serious injury and fatality accidents are “disproportionately high” on the island, a trend he believes could be curbed by the addition of motorcycle officers.

Port Orchard Police have had a motorcycle unit for about 10 years, according to Commander Mark Duncan.

He said motorcycles have helped the department deal with heavy traffic in the city’s downtown core.

“They clearly offer very high mobility,” he said. “They don’t necessarily get officers across town faster, but they do allow them to better identify and pursue cars in heavy traffic.”

Duncan said the department has two motorcycle units who often work in conjunction with Bremerton motorcycle officers.

Their primary duty is traffic enforcement, especially in school zones.

While Duncan said motorcycle officers typically write more tickets, he’s been “We’ve had absolutely glowing praise from the citizens,” he said. “It’s not really the reaction I expected, but people really appreciate the extra presence. I think it’s logical to extend our ability to manage traffic with a better tool.”

Bainbridge Police have other needs as well. A “Sally Port” – an enclosed structure that allows officers to book prisoners safely without the danger of them fleeing – is at the top of Haney’s budget list along with the new officers.

If built, officers could drive into the Sally Port and close the door behind them to eliminate possible escape routes before they escort prisoners from the car into the station.

He said prisoners have in the past tried to flee while police booked them, though no one had been hurt during those incidents.

Cost estimates for the structure should be completed sometime this week.

Haney is also asking for $65,000 to hire an emergency preparedness consultant to ensure the island is properly prepared for a disaster.

Right now that duty falls to the police and fire chiefs, but Haney said having a full-time consultant who could focus exclusively on the task would be a marked improvement.

As an example, he pointed to the common belief that disaster survivors can simply go to the grocery store to get vital supplies, like drinking water or batteries. But even following a strong windstorm those items are soon long gone, and things would be much worse following a major disaster.

Along with shoring up emergency response operations, Haney envisions the new consultant helping neighborhoods to become better organized.

“As most people saw after recent disasters, it’s often the citizens who provide the first response,” he said.

Finally on the department’s wish list is a full-time school resource officer to “be a presence” at the middle and high schools and work with students and school staff to promote safety.

The department used to have a full-time school officer before limited resources forced Haney to scale down the position to part-time.

Meanwhile, police continue to operate from an aging building on Winslow Way. There has been talk about building a new police facility, most recently this year following a consultant’s report that suggested building a $9 million joint police and municipal court campus near Madison and state Route 305.

For now, though, Haney would be happy with a little more manpower.

He cited a recent situation in which a passing car made an illegal maneuver in heavy ferry traffic. Knowing it would be unsafe to turn around and pursue the driver, Haney chose to continue on his path. But a motorcycle officer, he said, could have easily – and safely – turned around to ticket the driver.

“Like it or not motorcycle officers can enforce the law anywhere,” he said. “They can get to accidents anywhere, even when cars can’t. This would change driving patterns and help keep people safe.”