Courtesy APD

APD Officer Dave Ellis with two awards from the Oakland Police Motorcycle Competition.

On July 10, the annual Oakland Police Motorcycle Competition was held at Bob Dron's Harley Davidson Motorcycle dealership on Hegenburger Avenue in Oakland.

More than 45 motorcycle officers from as far away as Redding and Ventura County participated in a day long competitive event. Several hundred attendees watched as the officers showcased their skills in safety and in riding. All current makes and models of police motorcycles were present, and the tough course did not favor any specific brand.

Three officers from the Alameda Police Department competed. Officer David Ellis has been with the Alameda Police Department for 14 year and has prior service with the Oakland Police Department for 15 years. For the majority of his career, he has been assigned to the motorcycle units. Ellis is the lead instructor for the police motorcycle schools that are mandatory for incoming traffic officers. Over the years, Ellis has acquired a number of trophies and awards from police motorcycle competitions throughout the state. In 2009, in addition to high-ranking awards from four motorcycle competitions, he was also awarded Alameda Police Department "Officer of the Year."

As a result of Ellis' knowledge and expertise, he was awarded first place in the highly competitive "Top Gun" event, where two officers enter a complex coned-off box and attempt to make each other run out of the course or put a foot down on the pavementt. He also took second overall in the timed obstacle course event.