14-05-2025
Waynesville officer uses motorcycle skills as force for good
May 14—Master Officer Tyler Howell has been riding motorcycles of one sort or the other nearly his entire life. But when the Waynesville detective found himself at the North Carolina State Highway Patrol Motor Officers Course in April, his existing knowledge wasn't quite the asset he'd thought it would be.
"They said, 'How many guys have ridden anything the majority of their life?' And basically every student we had in there raised their hand. And (our trainer) said, 'I'm either gonna break those bad habits or break you, and you'll end up going home,'" Howell recalled of his first day at the school in Raleigh. "Long story short, it was a very difficult school."
Prior to Howell's time at Motor Officer School, Waynesville Police Department's two motorcycles were mostly ceremonial in function — "parades, funeral escorts, the stuff to look pretty," Howell said.
But the department wanted to start using the bikes' maneuverability, size, and speed for enforcement and traffic purposes. To do that, somebody would have to be motor officer certified. They call it earning your wings, after the winged motorcycle wheel pin you get to wear after you ace the rigorous training.
"Prior to going through the motor school, I could never understand why (the pin) was so guarded by these guys," Howell said.
But down there in the Raleigh heat, he began to understand.
Howell and his fellow students spent two weeks being put through their paces. To pass the training, they'd need to excel at a variety of tests, including: a tightly-wound cone course, a pursuit test, and a harrowing high-speed braking exercise, among other things.
Despite having some bad habits that needed breaking — as almost every motorcycle rider does — Howell was grateful for his lifetime of experience on two wheels.
"It became so physically demanding that it became a mental game," he said. "But I'm thankful for the riding experience that I had prior to going down there, because if somebody tries to go down there with no riding experience, there's little to no chance that they'll pass."
But pass Howell did.
" I'm just thankful to the Waynesville Police Department for allowing me the opportunity to go earn those those wings that I now will guard as well. They don't give those away, I can tell you that," Howell said.
The officer is looking forward to using his new skills for the betterment of his community.
One of the ways he'll do that is by teaching a program called Bike Safe, a free course for riders that includes book work and hands-on instruction.
"We will essentially assess the riders and basically grade them," he said. "It's not a pass or fail, but it's saying 'Hey, here's some things you could do differently while you ride, just to be a little more safe about what you are doing."
Howell, whose career in law enforcement spans 17 years and a variety of specialties, is currently serving in a community policing and public relations capacity. It's a job he loves, and he sees the bike as the perfect tool to further his aim of connecting with the people he serves.
"It's not all about speeding tickets and running people down," he said. " A lot of the public, especially in Western North Carolina, relate to motorcycles. So I'm fortunate to be in the position that I'm in and be able to use this as a tool to reach out to the community and reach out to the public and let them know, 'Hey, we're human too. We're not robots. And we want to be a part of the community.'"
