Publisher’s note:  We’d like to recognize those in our community who help

make a difference in the quality of our lives. In that spirit we plan to regularly feature the men and women making a difference.  To recommend someone be featured here please email us at: news@tryondailybulletin.com, with subject line:  Getting to know you.
by Claire Sachse
Motorcycles are a passion for Officer Michael Feagan.  A dirt bike rider since his teenage years, Feagan has always loved the exhilaration that comes from owning and riding motorcycles.  Now, as an officer with the Columbus Police Department, he has been able to turn his personal love for riding into a professional advantage.
The Columbus Police Department owns two police motorcycles, and has three officers qualified to ride them. Feagan rides the 2012 Kawasaki Concours 1400 cc police edition motorcycle. The other is a BMW RTS 1200 cc police edition. The department uses the motorcycles for escorts, parades, crowd gatherings and occasionally on patrol if another officer is available for backup assistance in a car.
Feagan recently completed a two-week motorcycle-training course in Raleigh offered by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
“I thought I knew how to ride before I went to the highway patrol motor school,” said Feagan. “But, no, it was the toughest school I’ve ever taken.”
Feagan served in the Army from 1984 – 1985 as a member of the military police. He has also been a licensed plumber for 28 years, the third generation of plumbers in the family business. When the recession hit, he completed Basic Law Enforcement Certification at Isothermal Community College where he was class leader. He served the Polk County Sheriff in detention work, and then moved to the Columbus Police Department in 2012.
A married father of two and grandfather of two, Feagan’s concern for youth is displayed in his personal and professional endeavors. He coached Little League and Babe Ruth ball for 14 years, and youth football for eight years.
“The hardest part of police work is when kids are involved,” he said. “Children are caught up in their parents’ troubles, or when their parents are hurt, and kids are usually the innocent ones, especially when they’re really young.”