It is test day today for a half-dozen Maine officers seeking certification to operate police motorcycles in the cities and towns where they work.

South Portland Police Sgt. Joseph Dell’Aquila—one of only two certified police motorcycle instructors in Maine—has been leading the men through drills to prepare them for the road test. The 56-hour course has been held in an empty parking lot at the Maine Mall, where orange cones were set up for the various courses the drivers have had to maneuver.

The special drills and test cover “brake and escape,” in which the riders have to stop quickly and safely, a slow cone weave that takes agility and good driving skills, and “the circle of death,” where the men must turn their bikes in tight circles without dropping them or wiping out.

The departments represented at the drill and test are: Scarborough, Portland, Lewiston, Wells and Bath. Although Dell-Aquila said at least two riders usually flunk the driving test, he predicted this class of riders would fare well. Dell’Aquila (shown above) said he has no qualms about failing a fellow officer who cannot show proficiency on the motorcycle. “Otherwise, when I certified them, I would be signing their death certificates.”

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