CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — In the midst of a hot, humid day, motorcycle officers from across the country hopped on their bikes in the parking lot of the Sam’s Club in Charlottesville, weaving their way through meticulously designed courses during the Jefferson Area Motor Squad Police Motorcycle Skills Training Seminar.

The 12th annual event is bringing together 17 departments from across Virginia and the country, allowing their officers to learn new skills and participate in a two-day competition. The competition portion of the event will take place Friday and Saturday, but officers were able to get some valuable practice in on Wednesday and will do the same on Thursday.

The event is organized by the Jefferson Area Motor Squad (JAMS), a regional unit comprised of officers from the Charlottesville Police Department, Albemarle County Police Department and University of Virginia Police Department.

Jay Morris, a motor officer with ACPD and JAMS’s Vice President, told Cville Right Now the aim of the event was to invite officers to Charlottesville so they could “train, get better, network and learn how to ride safer.”

“Motor work is the most dangerous part of law enforcement, the most dangerous job in law enforcement,” he said. “So, it’s very imperative that we stay diligent to do our training.”

The competition also serves as a charity event for JAMS, with a different beneficiary chosen each year. This year’s is the UVA Health Children’s Hospital Child Life Program, which pairs patients and their families with Child Life Specialists who help them navigate the mental and emotional challenges of needing care at the hospital.

Located on the back end of the parking lots, each course was made up of a number of traffic cones, creating a variety of shapes and paths. One course was even designed to resemble the logo of Marvel’s “The Punisher.”

Each rider is tasked with navigating the courses in a specific path, with a plethora of tight turns .

“It’s not easy,” Morris said. “It takes a long time. You’ll see motorcycles on the ground, and that just gives you an idea of how challenging it is.”

Even with the difficultly, the event gives officers the opportunity to learn from each other.

“I can say that even before I started riding in these competitions, I learned a lot from some of these guys,” ACPD officer and JAMS member John Van Witzenberg told Cville Right Now. “We constantly are working with each other. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter that somebody’s been riding less time than you, you can still learn things from them because they’re handling a course that you’re having trouble with.”

Witzenberg said the networking at the event overall is “amazing.”

“I get to meet officers from all over the country, not just here in Virginia, and then we get to know each other,” he said. “And then when it comes time to do really large escorts for funerals, dignitaries, things like that, we already know each other from doing stuff like this, and we know how each other works.

“We can network each other for things outside of motor work too. We have communication with each other for even cases and things that might span across a couple jurisdictions.”

The event is open for the public to come and watch throughout the week. Those interested in donating can also do so through JAMS’s website, as well as with QR codes provided at the event itself.

“Being able to say that we’re out here, we’re getting good training in, we’re learning a lot and also there’s somebody that benefits from it is great,” Witzenberg said.