Lake Elsinore Police Use High Speed To Demonstrate New Safety Feature

Speed limits in parking lots are very slow, but motorcycle officers with the Lake Elsinore Police Department got a pass Friday morning at The Diamond to use excessive speed.

The high-velocity demonstration in the stadium parking lot was used to showcase technology designed to save lives and money. 

With city officials on hand, the officers demonstrated a new braking system from Poway-based PureForge. In onsite side-by-side comparisons, a motorcycle officer on a bike equipped with a PureForge braking system appeared to be stopping much faster than an officer on a motorcycle equipped with original manufacturer parts. And as the demonstrations wore on, the PureForge-equipped bike continued to outperform.

The officers were instructed by their superiors not to give opinions on the technology, but feedback has been provided to city officials, said Lt. Jim Adams of the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station.

Nicole Dailey is a management analyst for the city. She shared the officer feedback and said it’s been positive.

“They’ve experienced improved performance on the motorcycles,” she said.

According to Dailey, the officers are noticing more stopping power and less fade (wear and tear) on rotors.

Two Lake Elsinore PD motorcycles are equipped with the new technology, but eventually all in the department will be retrofitted, Dailey added.

The Lake Elsinore Police Department is the first law enforcement agency in the nation to purchase PureForge braking systems, according to former Murrieta City Councilman Doug McAllister, who now serves as vice president of business development for PureForge.

He said Lake Elsinore is the perfect city to launch in.

“Yes, there’s a little bit of cross branding going on,” he admitted. “Lake Elsinore’s ‘Dream Extreme’ and its efforts to be cutting edge are a good fit for us."

McAllister said he would love to land a contract with the Murrieta Police Department to utilize PureForge technology, but under the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission rules he must wait a year after leaving office before he can enter into a deal with that city.

“You betcha, I’ll be talking to them in December!” he said.

Lake Elsinore Mayor Bob Magee said he is proud to be the first agency in the country to use the PureForge technology.

“It saves money and lives,” he said.

According to McAllister, PureForge rotors can last the lifetime of a vehicle and they extend the life of brake pads 10-fold.

More importantly, the technology can be a life saver, McAllister added.

Wayne Land is PureForge’s vice president of sales. He said a police officer in Fresno has been testing the technology, although the police department there has not yet contracted with the company.

Land got a late-night call recently from the officer.

“You could tell from his voice there was adrenaline flowing,” Land said, noting that the officer phoned after nearly being struck by an oncoming vehicle.

“The officer told me, ‘Your brakes saved my life.’”

Although PureForge is still in test phase with the technology, the long-term plan is to roll the patented “atomic forged” braking systems out to a wider market. The company has targeted law enforcement and other entities that can put the product through rigorous testing, McAllister explained.

Limousine companies, waste haulers and shuttle services are among the industries currently being approached, McAllister said.

PureForge Chairman and CEO Doug Wall said his company incorporated in 2006 and currently has 20 employees. Near-term plans are to expand the workforce to 50, he explained. 

Such growth interests Lake Elsinore. When asked whether PureForge will relocate, Wall smiled and conceded Lake Elsinore may be a fit for his company. Lake Elsinore city officials plan to bring staff to the PureForge plant in Poway to discuss local business opportunities, Wall said, adding, “We’re always looking for a place for manufacturing.”