DALLAS — News 8 has learned that Dallas police are reviewing all training and procedures after a motorcycle officer flipped his bike while escorting President Obama's motorcade on Monday afternoon.
Police said a pothole caused Senior Cpl. Michael Manis to lose control on Wycliff Avenue near the Dallas North Tollway.
All 28 Dallas motorcycle officers were on duty for the presidential motorcade detail. Manis — while a motorcycle squad rookie of six months — had been through this process before, once for a visit by the King of Jordan, the other for Vice President Joe Biden.
On Monday, Manis believes another officer clipped his bike, forcing him to crash. But the investigation shows he probably hit a pothole on Wycliff Avenue while attempting to change lanes.
"With the size of the pothole, it probably would have been impossible to know that," said Deputy Chief T.W. Lawrence.
Officers run motorcade routes multiple times before the actual escort, but this bump in the road hadn't been mapped out as a potential hazard.
"We frequently have conversations with streets, TxDOT or whomever, to go out and make those repairs — even on regular accidents — not just this type of accident," Lawrence said.
Manis had just been through Secret Service training on escorts, and he finished first in his motorcycle training program.
"Most people are familiar with motorcycle school, safety training courses," Lawrence said. "This is nowhere near that; this is extremely intense. They teach those officers to ride in every condition."
Investigators believe Manis rolled nearly 50 feet, suffering severe road rash on his arms.
But he survived, and that is a huge relief to his colleagues, considering their loss during the last presidential campaign. Senior Cpl. Victor Lozada died escorting then-Sen. Hillary Clinton's motorcade.
That event — like this one — will force the department to re-evaluate all procedures.
e-mail sslater@wfaa.com
