In the D.C. region, conversations often start with, “What do you do?” WTOP’s series “Working Capital” profiles the people doing the work that makes the region unique.
U.S. Capitol Police have the job of protecting the neoclassical seat of democracy, its grounds and the 535 members of Congress.
Every year, Capitol Police screen 1.4 million visitors and provide protection at more than 200 First Amendment demonstrations.
Among the most visible officers are the members of the motorcycle unit. They lead motorcades at the presidential inauguration, and often accompany visiting dignitaries who come to Washington. And they’re often spotted on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, on patrol and greeting visitors to the site.
The motorcycles are used 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; and officers depend on the mechanical mastery of the staff at the U.S. Capitol Police Vehicle Management Division.
Justin Breman has been a motorcycle technician with the department for 8 years and loves the work. Breman worked at a Harley dealership in Southern Maryland for 10 years before coming to work for U.S. Capitol Police.
Breman likes to work behind the scenes. He said it satisfies a personal mission to make sure the motor officers have the tools they need to do their job. In this case, that’s a motorcycle that operates flawlessly in all kinds of conditions.
His job provides a perfect blend of Breman’s interests. “I get to support what’s going on, but I also get to work on motorcycles,” he said.
There are 45 motorcycles in the fleet and up to 35 are on the road each day. “There are a handful that are used for training that we keep out of circulation,” he said. That’s because every summer officers have to go through recertification. “So we use those so they can keep up to date,” Breman added.
Breman’s job is to keep all of the Harley-Davidson-manufactured motorcycles in good order, ready to take on not only the weather, but road conditions, including potholes.
“Potholes, yeah, potholes are a nightmare,” he said. “If you hit a pothole going fairly fast you could go down pretty easily.”
While Breman loves motorcycles — working on them and riding them — he cautions about the risks riding them. It’s dangerous, “But for the motor officers it’s even more dangerous. They’re all day out there, regardless of the weather.”
That’s one reason why Breman, who has an easygoing manner, isn’t casual about his work. Officers depend on the reliable performance of their motorcycles that can weigh in the neighborhood of 1,000 pounds.
“If I were to mess up … it could potentially end in catastrophe. So, I take it pretty seriously,” Breman said.
Breman’s not just a mechanic; he’s a problem-solver and innovator, as well.
In order to provide storage space for each officer’s laptop in the compartment behind the seat, he came up with a way to protect the laptops using 3D-printed brackets to secure the devices that are critical to the job.
Police vehicles, including motorcycles, may spend lots of time idling, and draw a lot of power from their batteries. Breman said the motorcycle will only allow riders to do so many things electrically because of the limitations of the battery.
“So we found some fairly low voltage, low wattage high-output lights,” and then designed and fabricated the brackets needed to add them to the motorcycles, he said.
Breman’s best day on the job is when, “Everything works out, we have what we need and we can fix it and get it out quick.”
A bad day on the job, on the other hand, is “When I have to keep the bike, and you can see the officer’s face because they were looking forward to riding that day,” he said. “They’d rather be riding than not riding.”
Breman said his family gets a kick out of seeing the U.S. Capitol Police motorcycles cruise at the head of official processions on television, but he is not as impressed.
“I don’t get dazzled, really, by some of the big stuff. Fixing stuff is more satisfying,” he said.
Breman said he enjoys working on Harley-Davidsons — they’re what he trained on. But he’s not a motorcycle snob.
“I like all motorcycles,” he said. “I’ve ridden all and had all.”
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