OFF THE WIRE
OCSO: Deputy Quickly Put Phone Away, Wasn't Texting
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A photo taken by a WESH 2 viewer this week showed an Orange County Sheriff's Office deputy riding a motorcycle on Interstate 4 through downtown Orlando while looking at his cell phone.
WESH 2's Amanda Ober reported that the deputy in the photo was riding at about 50 mph at the time while holding a cell phone in his left hand and not looking at the road.
Glenn Victor, of the Florida Safety Council, had a strong reaction when he saw the photo.
Images: OCSO Deputy Uses Cell Phone On I-4
"I don't mind saying that if this guy really is texting while riding this motorcycle, he's an idiot, because it's unsafe for anyone to do that," Victor said.
Victor said operating a motorcycle is much different than driving a car, and he said it's critical that the motorcycle operator is aggressively searching his environment for possible obstacles and never taking his eyes off the road.
The OCSO investigated and interviewed the deputy who was photographed and concluded that the deputy did nothing wrong.
"The bottom line is there was no violation of agency policy nor was there a violation of state law, so it didn't go any further," said OCSO spokesman Jim Solomons.
The sheriff's office said the deputy in the photo admitted that he flipped open his phone to look at the screen but then quickly put it away and said he was not texting.
According to the OCSO, the Orlando Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol, it's not a safety concern for an officer to briefly check a cell phone while riding a motorcycle.
"It's just not that unusual for a deputy on a motorcycle to get a call, take a look at that screen," Solomons said. "(It's) no different than you looking at your speedometer or one of the functions of the motorcycle -- looking at that call, getting the number, putting it in your holster and continue driving until you can deal with your request."
The law enforcement agencies also stressed that their motorcycle officers receive special training on how to deal with distractions while driving.
However, some people said they still think looking at a cell phone while riding a motorcycle is risky for anyone.
Bob Simon, of Altamonte Springs, said he has been riding motorcycles as a hobby for years.
"No. 1, you're not paying attention to the road," he said. "Things can stop really fast in front of you. Stuff happens, potholes, whatever. No. 2, you only have one hand on the handlebar."
After looking at the photo of the deputy, Simon said he would never check his phone while riding.
