A San Diego police officer is making history. He’s the first amputee in the nation to become a motorcycle cop. NBC 7’s Joe Little shares his story.
He’s one-of-one. The first of his kind. An anomaly.
San Diego Police Officer Mark Wright is believed to be the first motorcycle officer with a prosthetic leg.
“You know, you tell yourself you can't do something. You've already defeated yourself,” said Officer Wright after graduating from the department’s grueling 120-hour Motorcycle Training Course.
“I knew I could get through it,” Wright smiled.
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No one would blame him if he didn’t. Wright was involved in a devastating collision on March 13, 2022. He was riding his motorcycle on Interstate 15 when he was hit by another car. Wright said skills he learned during a 26-year career as a Marine likely saved his life.
“I was an aerial observer, a crew chief in the Marine Corps for many years, and they taught me how to crash, luckily,” said Wright. “From the moment I woke up in the trauma room and I saw my foot, I knew it was done.”
Wright’s left foot was done. Mark Wright was not.
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“There're only two things in life you control: Your attitude and your behavior,” he said.
After Wright’s military career, he joined the San Diego Police Department in 2020. His accident in 2022 changed his trajectory again.
“That was the only thing I learn from the crash is no days are guaranteed.”
Only nine months after losing his lower left leg, Mark returned to active duty.
Apparently, that challenge wasn’t hard enough. His lieutenant said Wright is the first motorcycle officer with a prosthetic leg in the United States. Wright didn’t modify his 800-pound bike or ask for special treatment.
“Incredible. Motivational,” said Lt. Dan Hall. “To have somebody come in as an amputee and to do that. It's nothing short of phenomenal.”
Officer Mark Wright’s first day on duty as a motorcycle officer is Saturday.
