Courtesy photos/New Smyrna Beach Police Department. New Smyrna Beach Police motors officer Chris Salomone finished second overall among 83 police motorcycle officers from the U.S. and Canada at the Great Lakes Training Seminar at Ontario College in Ontario, Canada. He finished first overall in the windshield division. These photos were taken locally prior to the training competition.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Few doubt that Harley-Davidson is the king of the road when it comes to motorcycles. The same can be said for New Smyrna Beach police motors officer Chris Salomone, who competed last weekend in the Great Lakes Training Seminar at Ontario College in Ontario, Canada.
Salomone was so good that he finished second overall among 83 riders aboard Harley-Davidson Road Kings. What made the event even more special for the nearly 15-year officer is that he was one of the few riders aboard a locally-issued motorcycle. And to make his time there really competitive, he finished first in the windshield division.
"It was raining most of the day of the competition and most of the people riding had their own bikes so it was difficult," Salomone said. "It was actually nerve-racking."
Still, Salomone fished 1/10 of a second behind the overall leader for the championship, pitting the skills of the riders through various obstacle courses.
Some of the cops had trouble staying on their bikes, especially on some of the very slow turns and those involving riding up and down a teter-tot.
Salomone, 40, married with two children, said the training is good to keep up with hazards of the road, especially in emergencies. Not only did the officers train, but shared tips on safe riding, as well as their own experiences in dealing with dangerous riding situations that come with the job.
Salomone, 40, married with two children, said the training is good to keep up with hazards of the road, especially in emergencies. Not only did the officers train, but shared tips on safe riding, as well as their own experiences in dealing with dangerous riding situations that come with the job.
"It's the best position you can have," Salomone said of being assigned to motors.
Besides funerals and parades, a big part of the job entails traffic enforcement, he said, adding that contrary to popular belief, motors officers don't hide their bikes with the intention of snagging speeders.
"It can get hot out there and like everyone else, we like being in the shade," he said.
Salomone equates the intense training he went through up in Canada as the adrenaline rush motors officers get when responding to a major emergency. What he enjoyed most about his experience there was the camaraderie with the other motors cops.
"I really didn't know anyone up there so I was really appreciative of the people that would talk to me," he said.
Salomone's trip was paid for entirely by the Blue Knights, a fraternal police organization.
New Smyrna Beach police Sgt. Michael Brouillette said Chief Ronald Pagano was pleased with Salomone's showing.
"Motor Officer Salomone is a very assertive rider when competing and is an accomplished rider," Brouillette said. "He went up (to the competition), used a bike he was not familiar with, and did an excellent job. The department is very proud of the Department's motor unit and we are very proud of Motor Officer Salomone's success."
Editor's Note: Headline Surfer was originally called NSB News when this story was posted on 08/28/2009 - 01:27.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008 along the I-4 tourism corridor in greater Daytona Beach to Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed 115 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high-profile cases such as the George Zimmerman murder trial, Frederick has appeared on national crime shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis.