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JAMIE JONESA 5 percent pay cut doesn't deter one of the deputies. Both say they have long wanted to join the motorcycle patrol.
DADE CITY - Glynn Jude started riding motorcycles in junior high, in an abandoned potato field on Long Island, where he and his friends would build large mounds, climb on dirt bikes and soar into the air, fast and high as they could.
Jude kept riding, most recently buying a 1998 Harley-Davidson Wide Glide, taking long afternoon rides and heading to Jacksonville some weekends to visit his daughter.
A deputy with the Pasco Sheriff's Office since 1994, Jude has wanted to join the agency's motorcycle unit since it formed in 1999.
But spots are hard to come by. Until recently, when two opened.
Soon Jude will leave his post as a juvenile crimes detective, taking a 5 percent pay cut to join the motorcycle unit.
"I've been waiting to combine my two loves: being a deputy and riding," he said.
Jude, 41, and another deputy, Michael Molasso, 28, are training this week to join the six-member motorcycle unit, bringing the patrol up to full staff. The unit is its own close group within the agency, made of deputies who have extensive riding experience and have long wanted to become motorcycle cops.
"We all grew up watching CHiPs," Jude said, referring to the television series about two California motorcycle cops.
The Pasco motorcycle deputies work days and focus on traffic enforcement, writing citations and camping out in neighborhoods where residents complain of constant speeding. Their bikes are customized with radar detectors, blue lights and sirens.
The number of citations issued by Pasco motorcycle deputies is up from 4,117 in 2000 to 6,091 in 2002. The unit grew from three to six deputies in 2002, but for part of the year, the unit was not at full staff, said Sgt. Erik Anthes.
On Tuesday, under a blue sky, Jude and Molasso climbed on the agency's leased Harley-Davidson Road Kings and began working their way through nine obstacles set up as part of the training. Two Hernando County deputies also are taking the two-week course, held at Pasco-Hernando Community College in Dade City.
The course is taught by Cpl. Rick Roller, a founding member of the agency's motorcycle unit.
He watched as the deputies tried to navigate the course, which tests their ability to maneuver quickly and accurately on the bikes, which weigh about 800 pounds.
Pasco deputies must pass the test on Friday before they can start their new assignments.
The course requires that deputies stop their bikes quickly while traveling 30 mph, and then abruptly turn to the left or right. Deputies also must be able to turn in small circles without falling over.
Last week, when training began, everyone was falling.
"I thought it would be easy," Molasso said. "It's physically and psychologically challenging. On the course, there's not much room for error. The average rider could not do this."
But by Tuesday, deputies were getting the hang of it.
"They know what to do," Roller said. "It's just a matter of repetition."
Molasso, who got his first Honda scooter when he was 15, said he believes he will be able to better patrol the roads from a motorcycle, which is less visible than a marked patrol car. He has worked traffic enforcement for more than two years and won an award for DUI arrests, more than 100 a year.
"One person can't make the whole world safe, but I like doing my part," Molasso said.
- Jamie Jones covers crime in Pasco County. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6245 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6245. Her e-mail address is jjones@sptimes.com