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Kerrville council accepts Byrne JAG funding for police motorcycle after safety debate
Summary
The City Council voted to accept roughly $53,000 through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant to buy a fully equipped police motorcycle; councilors debated safety, training and deployment before approving the measure 4-1.
The Kerrville City Council voted 4-1 on Jan. 14 to accept roughly $53,000 in Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funding to purchase a fully equipped police motorcycle.
Police Chief (name not specified) told the council the department’s traffic analysis showed a steady increase in reportable crashes from 2019 through 2023 and cited driver inattention and speed as leading factors. He said a motorcycle would improve enforcement and response times and considered it a tool for building a dedicated traffic unit over time. “We were having some traffic related issues in our community and we conducted a traffic analysis for the previous 5 years,” the chief said.
The chief described practical benefits and safety measures: motorcycles can move through congested downtown traffic, respond faster on the river trail and reduce secondary crashes by clearing crash scenes sooner. He outlined mandatory training, protective equipment, personnel selection and written policy limits as steps to manage the higher risk of motorcycle assignments and said the grant was administered through ACOG before awards are made by the Office of the Governor. “This grant starts at ACOG and ends up with the office of the governor,” he said.
Council members raised safety concerns. One member, while saying they were “pro police,” said they were “anti motorcycle” after referencing a fatal incident involving a motor officer elsewhere and questioned whether a motorcycle places officers at elevated risk when attempting traffic stops. The chief and other council members responded that policy, selection and training are intended to mitigate those risks and that the department envisions adding a second motorcycle later and building a broader traffic unit to include vehicle-assigned officers.
A motion to accept the grant and authorize purchase carried 4-1. The council directed that once purchased and equipped the department would return to show the vehicle to the council.
The resolution authorizing acceptance of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant will fund purchase and outfitting of the motorcycle; additional budget and procurement steps will follow.
