The smell of gasoline wafted in the air as a few motorcycle officers from the Santa Fe Police Department played follow the leader in a vacant parking lot at Santa Fe Place.

But this was no game. The officers were following the leader, who was making tight, precise turns in the shape of a four-leaf clover trying not to knock over any orange cones as part of a proficiency exercise, said Officer James Plummer, certified motorcycle instructor who organized the training.

"These are life skills," Plummer said, seriously. "Our lives depend on how good we are on these bikes. The better we are, the safer we are."

Every six months, the department's six full-time motorcycle officers and 11 auxiliary officers (officers who patrol in cars but occasionally are called to the Traffic Division) go through a two-day, 10-hour per day recertification course.

Each exercise represented a skill the officers need to master or a real-life scenario officers might face, and each officer had to successfully run through each station four times in order to be recertified, said Sgt. John Schaerfl.

"We have to do each one four times to ensure that it wasn't a fluke," Schaerfl said with a laugh.

The officers are gearing up for the upcoming busy weekends, including Fiesta, said Lt. Dale Lettenberger, who heads the Traffic Division.

Schaerfl said the course was precisely measured by the standards of the official course all motorcycle officers must pass.

"Motor school is very challenging, it's a very steep learning curve and it's physically demanding," Schaerfl said. "It's probably one of the harder schools I've attended in my career."

Plummer described the riders of the Traffic Division as the "pearl of the department." They are out there, riding (except when there is ice or sleet) every day, rain or shine, heat or cold. Although they have to brave the elements every day, Plummer said this also helps them connect more with community members.

"I get to interact with people a lot more," Plummer said. "(People) will stop me at a red light and say, 'Hey how are you doing?' and talk about the motorcycle a little bit. You get more people time."

Plummer wanted to be a motorcycle officer since he was a kid growing up in Santa Fe.

"As a kid, I watched the old Santa Fe (Police Department) traffic unit downtown doing a lot of what you're seeing today," Plummer said. "It sparked an interest. My godfather was a police motor operator in Albuquerque and I grew up around motorcycles. I wanted to become a police officer and at the same time ride motorcycles."

Although many of the force's motorcycle officers have a love for riding, many of them love the job.

Schaerfl said that for him, "It's more about what we do. We do primarily most of the crash investigations in the city of Santa Fe but we exclusively do all the escorts, all the special events ... I really like participating in that. That gives you a sense of giving a little bit more to the community."

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.