In a recent meeting, the Police Commission unanimously approved the expenditure, and the request went before the Board of Selectmen last week. Sgt. Donald Mill stressed that the department is not seeking to increase the number of motorcycles in the program, merely to replace an already approved two-unit fleet.

"Several years ago this [motorcycle program] was justified... I get concerned when it seems we have to justify something that we've already justified... when [the second motorcycle] was destroyed through no fault of our own," Mill said.

A special agreement with the Harley-Davidson Motor Company allows for a one-year lease contract of a new vehicle for approximately $1,650. After one year, the contract will be renewed and the vehicle will be replaced with a new model. This program has worked well for the Orange Police Department, where they lease three vehicles a year, Mill said.

"The beauty of this is that [the Harley motorcycle] will be under warranty the entire time... This is very beneficial not only to our agency but also the town," he said.

The Clinton Police Department's motorcycle unit has been in operation since 1998, when a Kawasaki was donated to the department for use in the program. Grant money provided the second motorcycle, also a Kawasaki, in 2000. Because Kawasaki no longer manufactures police motorcycles, the department was forced to pursue a more expensive replacement vehicle, either a Harley-Davidson or a BMW. The capital expenditure committee turned down an earlier replacement request last year. At the time, the department requested more than $8,000 to replace the destroyed vehicle, an expense not previously made by the program. According to Mill, the Harley-Davidson lease is the most economic way for the department to replace the motorcycle on a long-term basis because it will utilize insurance money from the totaled Kawasaki.

A second motorcycle unit is "absolutely essential" to the department, Mill said. "The motorcycle unit has been a tremendous success on many fronts," he said.

The motorcycles are used in funeral processions, escorts and parades, as well as intersection patrolling and general use in the summer. A motorcycle uses 25 miles per gallon of gasoline less than a patrol car, and can be used up to six months of the year, Mill said. Four officers currently are certified to use the motorcycles.

Mill noted that out-of-town duties performed on motorcycle are done free of overtime charges. Cpl. Jeremiah Dunn, for example, rode Clinton's remaining Kawasaki, along with 150 police motorcycles from throughout the state, in the recent funeral of Newington Police Officer Peter Lavery who was killed in the line of duty last month.

The Board of Selectmen recommended that the Police Department includes this expense in their budget proposal and presents it to the Board of Finance, along with copies of riders' certifications and further explanation as to why a second vehicle is absolutely necessary.