Bike Patrol

That is so cool sarge. Its a win-win-win situation, law enforcement, community involvement, and you guys get to ride for a job. I don't think we'd mind hearing more in another posting. Don't worry there's enough room, go on and on.

MikeG

Either riding or Thinking of Riding... The madness of MTB, I love it!

Thanks MikeG,

More than happy to share our stories. I'll keep the updates coming. In fact this weekend, we will be out all night in a high crime area looking for the bad guys breaking into cars. Acording to an informant we spoke to, the bad guys/girls are afraid of the bike guys because they don't know where or when we will show up. Thats kind of fun! Besides I'll get about 15 miles of riding in.

Appreciate the support

Sarge

wow it sounds like a job that gives you a work out every work day and also have fun doinging it and from all the coarses you instruct it seems that you must relly like it alot makes me want to be a bike patroler
i just have 1 question do you get to use the bike when you are off duty ??

mountain biking is to earth as diving is to water

No, the patrol bikes are city property so they really don't want us riding them off duty, (liability thing) They are heavy, about 40 lbs with the equipment bag on the back, emergency lights and batteries. They are a challenge when we do ride them on duty and have to patrol some of our trails. We really have to train on the patrol bikes so that we get used to riding with the extra weight. We all have personal bikes and try to ride off duty as much as possible. Keeps the team concept going and keeps up conditioned.

Check out www.impba.org, International Police Mountain Bike Association web site has great articles and imformation. I am going to thier conference taking place in Baton Rouge LA in April.

Thanks.

o kool well at least that extra weight trains you so that once you get on your normal bike you feel like you can drift off the mountain lol

mountain biking is to earth as diving is to water

Yeah, it's like running in sand.

Sarge, you have one of the coolest jobs!

"What can you do with a road bike?"

Thanks, it is a great job, at times I wonder, but overall, a great job.
I try not to ride as much on a road bike. We spend alot of time in traffic on the patrol bikes, and that is enough for me. I don't trust the people in the cars. I have had a few close calls, and another officer was hit by a drunk driver while on bike patrol. We do some training rides around 20-30 miles on the road to maintain fitness and keep practice riding in groups,doubles, singles, etc, but those cagers just freak me out.

Thanks Again for the support

Sounds like a damn good job! adrenaline from riding and busting bad guys, I bet you'll get highly bored when you eventually retire! My bike weighs 40lbs and I agree it's hard work!

Well, I am 40 so I have at least 10 more years left and as long as I feel physiclly fit, I hopefully will be on the bike that long.

On Monday at about 230 AM, it got down to 23 degrees while out riding. When my face mask started to freeze from my runny nose, I called it quits for the bike and took a patrol car. As die hard as I am, that was my limit. But I still was having fun!

Thanks for the support.

Now thats commitment!

I know, sarge, it's hard to ride when it's that cold. Somebody mentioned to me that the air has a higher resistance when it is that cold, not to mention it is hard on your lungs to breathe that cold air.

MikeG

Either riding or Thinking of Riding... The madness of MTB, I love it!

It wasn't to bad until my runny nose started to freeze to my balaclava. No more fun at that point. The cold here is very moist and It always feels colder than it is.

I think that you deserve a high level of repect for what you do! SARGE FOR PRESIDENT!!!

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb discussing what to have for dinner, liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote."
Benjamin Franklin.

Thank You for all the support. I would run for President but then I would have to ride with all those Secret Service Guys around all the time. But I would build a killer "Pump Track" in the White House Rose Garden!

I recently took a course for the mountain bike patrol unit with with my employer, the Montréal City Police in Québec,Canada. The instructors have told us that they have based their teching skills according to your schools standards. If you want my opinion it is the best. I had not touched a bike in seven years and haven taken this course and it all came back to me so easily, and the things thought in the course are really helpful. I didn't think that biking involved that much training and knowledge. Once again it's a very complete course. Excellent job! Can't wait for the next course next year because we have to requalify every year.

Welcome to the club Pierre. I just came back from the International Police Mountain Bike conference in Baton Rouge LA. Wow, I learned all kinds of new stuff to bring back to our department. It is pretty amazing that more departments don't use bikes. They are great tools to get the job done. I have put several very good bike riders through my course and they were quickly humbled.

SARGE: NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER STOP TRYING!

i'm trying to come up with an explanation for why the dept. of corrections should start a bike patrol. any suggestions, sarge? we have some great terrain around our perimeter that i'm always wishing i could ride.

Well, I have not heard of any corrections officers using bikes. But I think if you needed to patrol the outer perimeter for security checks, the bikes would be better than a vehicle because you can hear and smell anything out of the ordinary that you would probably miss from a vehicle. (ie: fences and gates tampered with or damaged, dug up dirt around the perimeter, packages, drugs, or weapons left by an outsider by the fence, sounds of pounding that are not normally heard) I also think it would be another visual deterrent that the inmates and outsiders might see, giving them a second thought of doing something stupid.

IPMBA and LEBA teach rapid response training for crowds. The bikes are great for crowd control and large gatherings where using a bike patrol to watch outdoor recreation yards, riots, or transporting a group from A to B. The bikes could also get you across the facility quickly, depending on how big it is.

Let me know how it comes out. If you get a bike patrol going, I would be more than happy to share some information I have compiled from the bike training and conferences I have been attending.

SARGE: NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER STOP TRYING!