EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - The University of Oregon hired four Eugene police officers to provide a motorcycle escort for new football coach Willie Taggart on a recent tour of area high schools.
The Register-Guard newspaper (https://bit.ly/2kpgSzO ) reports the athletic department spent nearly $2,500 from its recruiting budget for the Jan. 13 escort.
Athletic department spokesman Craig Pintens says the escort was used because Taggart and his coaching staff had a limited amount of time to visit a number of schools as part of their recruiting effort and wanted to stay on schedule.
The escort led a pair of UO vehicles to eight high schools in Springfield and Eugene.
Eugene police spokesman John Hankemeier says the officers were what the department calls a “lead,” rather than an official escort. An official escort requires traffic to pull over.
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Information from: The Register-Guard, https://www.registerguard.com
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