Vienna Officers Place Second, Fifth At Annual Motorcycle Rodeo

Two officers from Vienna took home prizes in their division of the 32nd Annual Mid-Atlantic Police Motorcycle Rodeo last week.

MPO Erik Hall took second place and MPO Dean Bailey took fifth place
within the Division-1 Notice category. Oficers Lawrence Mangan and Mike Oliver also competed.

One hundred and twenty three officers from 21 jurisdictions competed in the event, which was formed in 1979 by Corporal A.D. Johnson, a motorcycle officer with the Prince George's County, Md. Police Department. Johnson was killed in a motorcycle accident while on duty in 1982; the event continues in his spirit.

Since Johnson's death, the event has also emphasized motorcycle safety, also aiming to test and improve the skills of officers.

"The competition is a precision maneuvering series between cone courses which are set at close interval. It enhances the skills of officers," Officer Bill Murray said, who noted it was the first competition for the department's Harley motorcycles.

Officers came from across the country to this year's rodeo in Gainesville, from departments in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,to Pennsylvania, to Virginia and Maryland. Vienna officers have participated since the town created its motorcycle unit in 1986.