Palm Springs police officers will not be using motorcycles on the roads until further notice while the department completes a review of the Saturday crash in which an officer crash into a crowd at the city’s holiday parade, injuring a dozen people.
Officer Gustavo Araiza confirmed Monday that Chief Andrew Mills had decided to pause use of motorcycles, a move earlier reported by KESQ.
Araiza said there are four officers who typically ride on motorcycles to do both traffic enforcement and assist with special events, although an additional investigator also sometimes rides in larger events.
The Festival of Lights Parade continues by the scene of a crash where a Palm Springs Police motorcycle crashed into the crowd along North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024.
He said the remaining officers will continue their duties but without the motorcycles. Ken Merenda, the officer who crashed the motorcycle, remained hospitalized as of yesterday and Mills said he would not expect him to be able to work for quite some time.
Mills told The Desert Sun on Sunday that the officers on motorcycles at the parade were there to keep people from the parade. He said they did so by doing circles in the roadway with their lights flashing.
The chief also said he was aware of reports and video of officers “popping the clutch” on their motorcycles and that is among the things that he expected to be looked at as part of the investigation into the crash.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash, but Mills said his department will conduct its own “administrative investigation” into what went wrong and whether department polices were followed once the CHP investigation is completed.
A CHP spokesperson said Sunday he expected the report to be completed in 10 business days. Mills has also apologized to the community for the crash and said he will make sure the investigation is “as transparent and as thorough as humanly possible.”
Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs police pause use of motorcycles after parade crash
