Megan Diskin

megan.diskin@vcstar.com, 805-437-0258

Interested in doing more proactive police work, Simi Valley police officer Jessica Neumann became a motorcycle officer — the first woman to do so in her agency's history.

While working patrol, the six-year veteran focused a lot of her efforts on catching those who were driving under the influence.

"In police work, a lot of the responding or radio calls we get are after something bad already happened," Neumann said. "We can prevent something bad from happening by taking a drunk driver off the road."

About a year ago, the 28-year-old Simi Valley resident bought a motorcycle and started riding. It was part of her plan to become a traffic officer and do the kind of work she finds satisfying.

When a spot opened up in the traffic bureau in September, she applied and knew that if she got it, she'd be the first female motorcycle officer in the history of the Simi Valley Police Department. Now that she has been hired and completed most of her training, she said it is something she's proud of, but it doesn't define her.

"When I put on this uniform, I don't feel I'm a male or female — whatever gender you associate with," she said. "I'm a police officer, and my job is to protect the community. I may just wear a little more pink."

She's referring to the pink pens and handcuff key she carries and the pink skull cap she wears under her helmet.

Qualifications to become a motorcycle officer include a motorcycle license and the ability to balance and lift the 700-pound bike, said Cmdr. Robert Arabian, who oversees the agency's traffic bureau. Each applicant also must submit a memorandum explaining why they want the assignment and provide a sample report of a traffic collision investigation, Arabian said.

Including Neumann, three officers applied for the job. Arabian said he chose Neumann in part because because she "absolutely prepared" for the position by buying her own motorcycle and personally funding herself through the training to get the required license. Her work as a patrol officer was "outstanding" and she has a positive attitude and strong work ethic, Arabian said.

"She was basically the full package of what I was looking for in a police officer that's going to ride a motorcycle," Arabian said.

She started six weeks of training with fellow motorcycle officer Eric Bowman, learning techniques in preparation for a two-week state-mandated course at the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. She passed the course but will go through six more weeks of training with Bowman, Arabian said.

The purpose of the latest training is to get a new motorcycle officer accustomed to the tricky areas of the city for a motorcyclist, Arabian said. More importantly, it's to make sure the officer can get acclimated to the layout of the city because as they patrol, they don't have a computer to refer to, Arabian said. A motorcycle officer has an in-helmet radio and must remember the details of a call for service and be aware of roadway hazards, he said.

Neumann's addition to the traffic bureau is welcome because the unit has been down two motorcycle officers. The spot she's filling was vacated after the previous traffic officer was "separated" from the department, Arabian said. The other spot has been open since Officer Tom Carney was in an on-duty accident June 16. He was in pursuit of a violator when a pickup and his motorcycle collided near Tapo Canyon Road and Los Angeles Avenue. That position is still his once his doctor gives the OK, Arabian said.

The techniques Neumann will continue to practice over the next several weeks are imperative during pursuit driving, he said.