Banning Motor Officers Return 12 Years After City Put On The Brakes

BANNING, CA—The City of Banning has a new weapon to prevent speeding on city streets.

Meet Cpl. Eric Campa. He is the lone motorcycle officer in the Banning Police Department and the first to do so in over a decade, the city shared over a recent social media report. In it, Campa showed all who were interested the BMW bike that serves as his "motor," complete with radar, LIDAR, as well as bright lights and sirens.

According to the department, "The LIDAR stands for Light Direction And Ranging, which is used by police to measure accurate speeds and issue citations to speeding drivers.

Banning is working to decrease collisions and remind drivers to slow down, citywide, they said in a recent social media post.

Campa graduated from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Motor Officer Training course, which uniquely positions the safety officer and his foundational position with the Banning Police Department. With it comes a special patch: a "winged motorcycle wheel" skewered by an arrow.

According to Police Motor Units.com, the patch's history dates back to the early 1900s. The wheel is perceived as "in speeding motion," and the arrow displays the rider's precision. The patch is only given after the officer passes an 80-hour training program and shows proficiency in slow-speed handling, high-speed handling, shooting from the motorcycle, law enforcement tactics, and traffic avoidance.

The city said, "A motorcycle officer is a unique position that will help create safer streets." This is all in the name of accident prevention and safety for the city as a whole.

The plan is for Campa's presence to help ensure pedestrian safety, especially for the youth who cross major intersections while walking to and from school.

"The Motor Officer Position was discontinued a decade ago, but with the uptick of traffic-related injuries, citizen complaints, damage to personal property, and traffic-related fatalities, the City of Banning has reimplemented a proactive approach to mitigate traffic-related issues," a spokesperson for the city stated. "We have heard our citizens loud and clear and are happy to announce the reinstatement of the Banning Police Department Motor Program."

Residents had mostly positive things to say about seeing a motor officer back on the streets. A few even offered suggestions on where he might find more speeders.

One commenter said she saw him near Hoffer Elementary School, while another suggested different locations to visit to make sure people "slow down."

"The motor division is long overdue," the commenter said. "I would like to see them on Wilson Street, people are doing freeway speeds and above. Lots of accidents on Wilson, and I saw another one this morning by Mountain Avenue."