In early 1910, the Seattle police department invested $1,329 in its first three motorcycles, with seven patrolman selected as the first members of the "motor cops" squad. At the time, speeding fines were paid to King County rather than the city of Seattle, and the city hoped to pass a traffic ordinance which would allow it to keep fines for itself. Purchasing motorcycles was seen as an investment to help with this goal. Within a few years, the city's motorcycle squad had expanded to 15 machines. By 1932, the department had 33 motorcycles, and patrolmen drove over 173,000 miles in the course of duty.

This photo shows Seattle Police Department motorcycle patrolman J.K. (John Keil) Weedin (1900-1969) in March 1928. Weedin was a police officer for 25 years before retiring in 1949. In addition to John, two of his brothers, Harry J. and William Weedin, served on the force. Their father, John F. Weedin, also a police officer, was killed in the line of duty in 1916.

Caption information source: “John Weedin Rites Due Tomorrow,” Seattle Times, May 6, 1969, p. 33.