AST Magazine February 2018 final-feb-2018 | Page 37

Volume 20
February 2018 Edition
Patrol Bikes of the Future:
Increasing Police Effectiveness with eBikes
By Claudia Wasko
Police officers on bicycles are nothing new; officers ad-
opted bicycle patrols as part of their standard functions as
early as the 19th century, and there’s been a revival in the
practice since the late 1980s – for good reason.
Bikes give officers access to areas that would be difficult to get
around quickly in a squad car, especially in cities congested with
traffic, and allow police to pursue suspects in crowded areas or
through tight spaces, and even over terrain a squad car can’t tackle.
Tech-savvy police departments across the country are exploring the
implementation of an eBikes program to gain some of these bene-
fits, and it’s crucial to know what to consider before purchasing.
Traditional bicycles have their downsides, though.
They require a lot of energy to pedal, and can’t go as fast as officers
sometimes need to move.
Police officers also have to carry a lot of equipment with them,
which makes a bicycle heavier and harder to ride uphill or for long
distances.
There’s a way to get all the positives of a police bicycle program
and eliminate the negatives, however – with an eBike, or electric
bicycle, which uses a pedal-activated electric motor and battery
that gives riders an extra tailwind to pedal faster uphill and over
longer distances.
Improved Policing on eBikes
Electric bikes have been around almost as long as traditional
bicycles, but advances in motor and battery technologies in
recent years have been driving consumer growth in places
like Europe and China – and now police departments in the
United States are taking notice of an eBike’s advantages.
With a boost from an electric motor, officers can ride
further and longer than they can on a standard bicycle,
allowing them to expand their patrol area and cover
more ground.
35