Bicycle Training For the Police

Police officers patrolling on bicycles are common in many urban settings today throughout the United States. The officer using a bike must undergo rigorous training covering, safety, surveillance, assisting in emergency operations and riding techniques vital to performing their duties. Many cities and congested urban areas have enhanced policing efforts by adding bicycle patrols to supplement personnel in patrol cars and add an element of stealth to policing.

  1. History of Mountain Biking Police

    • According to the Law Enforcement Bicycle Association (LEBA), mountain bike patrol officers became a means of policing in 1987 in Seattle, Wash. With construction and gridlock making travel throughout downtown Seattle a chore, crime increased and the Seattle police were frustrated in their attempts to curtail criminal activity. On July 10, 1987, shortly after mountain biking began to take a foothold in the American mainstream, the Seattle Police Department issued new bikes for officers Paul Grady and Mike Miller. The impact of this decision was seen within 30 minutes of their first bicycle patrol with three felony narcotics arrests. In their first month, they made 500 misdemeanor arrests.

    Why BicycleTraining is Necessary

    • Police officers need bicycle training to learn the skills required to safely navigate in and around heavy traffic, avoid obstacles and make evasive maneuvers that occur suddenly in heavy traffic. The ability to maintain control of the bicycle while in pursuit or responding to a call are skills that common bicycle riding know-how simply doesn't cover. Having the ability to dismount a bicycle quickly but safely to perform an arrest or fire a weapon are additional examples of skills learned in training.

    Intended Audience

    • Police officer bicycle training is intended for licensed law enforcement officers, sheriff's and deputies, part-time officers, reserve officers and security personnel. The International Police Mountain Biking Association offers membership benefits and training to it's members and offers courses all over the United States throughout the year.

    What Training Covers

    • Bicycle training for police officers is performed in several steps covering bicycle safety, public safety and the fundamentals of bike riding and maintenance. Police officer bicycle training also covers areas such as on-bike equipment, the use of headlamps and audible warning devices.

      Training programs also cover safety equipment, uniforms and protective clothing and the importance of selecting the right equipment to ensure comfort and safety.

      Vehicular cycling teaches the police cyclist the rules of the road and that they should ride a bicycle the same they would operate a motor vehicle. Merging and changing lanes, speed positioning, hand signals and riding defensively are some examples of vehicular training.

      Hazard and crash avoidance teaches the cyclist how to maneuver his bicycle around visual hazards, surface hazards and moving hazards.

      Nighttime training instructs the police cyclist of the hazards at night or in low light. This training also covers improving their ability to be detected by motorists and the use of passive and active lighting.

    Benefits of Biycle Training for Police Officers

    • Bike patrols are widely used for public events such as concerts, sporting events and fairs. The bike patrol officer has the ability to use stealth and speed to respond to calls a foot patrol officer or car patrol might be unable to reach quickly---or in the case of a remote area, not at all.

      For surveillance, the bike patrol officer can respond to a criminal act undetected and make arrests because of her ability to approach without the obvious signs of a car patrol response.

      Training bicycle patrol officers enhances a police department's ability to provide community policing, thereby making it much more accessible to citizens. Using bicycle patrols has an impact on the bottom line because bikes cost less than cars. Having a healthy and fit officer and lower health care costs could be realized as well.