Police bicycles
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True. But I do think the issue of bike patrol could, in some areas, actually be broken down into a mtb AND a road bike division w/ each patrolling areas which math up better w/ each type of bike's advantages. For stairs, dirt, uphill/downhill areas the MTB or long, flat areas where alot of miles would need to be patrolled the RB would definitely be better (especially outfitted w/ minimal equip.). A fully loaded police MTB has to weigh around 100lbs whereas a lightly outfitted RB probably wouldn't weigh more than50lbs. That's one helluva HUGE difference, especially after the first 50 miles of a shift's patrol.
Seriously, have you ever actually met a cop?
If it's long, flat and a lot of miles, it's going to be patrolled by a car. Zooming around all day is not what a bike cop does.
Right now, you're the guy who's never seen a basketball game writing the rulebook for the NBA.
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True. But I do think the issue of bike patrol could, in some areas, actually be broken down into a mtb AND a road bike division w/ each patrolling areas which math up better w/ each type of bike's advantages. For stairs, dirt, uphill/downhill areas the MTB or long, flat areas where alot of miles would need to be patrolled the RB would definitely be better (especially outfitted w/ minimal equip.). A fully loaded police MTB has to weigh around 100lbs whereas a lightly outfitted RB probably wouldn't weigh more than50lbs. That's one helluva HUGE difference, especially after the first 50 miles of a shift's patrol.
Last edited by FiftySix; 06-12-19 at 03:04 PM.
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I'll bet LEOs have their own cycling forum somewhere. We could really gum up the works there with several posts about chain lube.
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My local police force has bikes. According to one of the officers I'd asked a while back, the point of bikes isn't really top speed pursuit. Some stuff I remember him saying:
1) A PR thing - people seem to like to see police on bikes and they appear more accessible when they're not in motion.
2) Accessibility - bike cops can patrol places cars can't really fit. Evidently this decreased crime in a number of hot spots as a result (a foot path and an alley way).
3) Quiet - On at least one occasion, the police were able to drift right up on top of some suspects without them noticing and affect an arrest (they do train take-downs from the saddle).
4) Recon - easy to stop in odd spots and watch, easier to keep an eye around themselves than in a car.
1) A PR thing - people seem to like to see police on bikes and they appear more accessible when they're not in motion.
2) Accessibility - bike cops can patrol places cars can't really fit. Evidently this decreased crime in a number of hot spots as a result (a foot path and an alley way).
3) Quiet - On at least one occasion, the police were able to drift right up on top of some suspects without them noticing and affect an arrest (they do train take-downs from the saddle).
4) Recon - easy to stop in odd spots and watch, easier to keep an eye around themselves than in a car.
As for the idea that a bike needs to be fast like in the OP... that isn't very realistic. Most of the bike cops here aren't in great shape. They aren't going to be chasing down any serious cyclist (nor would they likely be allowed to unless the crime was serious... just too dangerous). They can easily catch someone on foot with a mountain bike though. Really, it's more important to have a bike that is tough, low maintenance, and reliable.
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Long overdue addition to my iggy list.
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I was riding with with one of our city's bike patrol officers today. He was helping our last bike safety class for the school year with their "graduation ride". He helped us teach our group of 5th graders the skills needed to navigate real city traffic. Bike patrol is a very small part of his duties, and he is a real asset to our community. When he uses a bike, it is a mountain bike
Last edited by Doug64; 06-12-19 at 08:43 PM.
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Don't do that! Next he's starting a thread about how dog catchers should ride tandems so they have a seat for the dog.
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The value of a cop on a bike who can just put a foot down and stop and talk to the public is HUGE
Especially in urban environments where police are accused of being distant from the population
It's why cops used to have foot patrols. So they would walk around and interact with the community, make friends with people sitting on their porch who would tell them when something wasn't right. It was healthy.
Then cops started driving in cars and that interaction stopped. Police started being less trusted. The relationship with the public became toxic in a lot of places.
But on a bike...that's all back. You now have a foot patroller who can cover 10 times as much ground without giving up that friendly face that talks to the public.
Baltimore has them, but only in the touristy spots. Bikes are great for interacting with people and keeping purse snatching to a minimum. They aren't so great in hardened drug neighborhoods controlled by gang violence. Cops still use cars in those neighborhoods.
As for a cop's speed on a mountain bike....they spend all day every day on that mountain bike. I'd venture to say they can ride that mountain bike faster than most human beings can ride a road bike.
Especially in urban environments where police are accused of being distant from the population
It's why cops used to have foot patrols. So they would walk around and interact with the community, make friends with people sitting on their porch who would tell them when something wasn't right. It was healthy.
Then cops started driving in cars and that interaction stopped. Police started being less trusted. The relationship with the public became toxic in a lot of places.
But on a bike...that's all back. You now have a foot patroller who can cover 10 times as much ground without giving up that friendly face that talks to the public.
Baltimore has them, but only in the touristy spots. Bikes are great for interacting with people and keeping purse snatching to a minimum. They aren't so great in hardened drug neighborhoods controlled by gang violence. Cops still use cars in those neighborhoods.
As for a cop's speed on a mountain bike....they spend all day every day on that mountain bike. I'd venture to say they can ride that mountain bike faster than most human beings can ride a road bike.
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#66
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Great idea!
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Some people are like a Slinky ... not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.
Some people are like a Slinky ... not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.
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True. But I do think the issue of bike patrol could, in some areas, actually be broken down into a mtb AND a road bike division w/ each patrolling areas which math up better w/ each type of bike's advantages. For stairs, dirt, uphill/downhill areas the MTB or long, flat areas where alot of miles would need to be patrolled the RB would definitely be better (especially outfitted w/ minimal equip.). A fully loaded police MTB has to weigh around 100lbs whereas a lightly outfitted RB probably wouldn't weigh more than50lbs. That's one helluva HUGE difference, especially after the first 50 miles of a shift's patrol.
Never mind. Hr1 stepped up.
Last edited by Maelochs; 06-12-19 at 10:17 PM.
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#68
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Yep, saw them down at the Inner Harbor a few weekends ago. One of them was side-hopping up a short flight of stairs, which was pretty cool.
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Walked by 4 bike cops during lunch. Raleigh MTBs. Each bike had only a rear rack with a modest trunk bag attached. Unless each bag was stuffed with lead batteries, no way did one of those bikes weigh 100 lbs.
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The weight of the bike cops' gear includes the regular cop gear which is 20-30 pounds, I hear---vest, radio, cuffs, clips, firearm, taser, first aid kit .... whatever else they need to carry.
Whatever. The OP is clueless or more like deliberately feigning cluelessness so why bother.
Whatever. The OP is clueless or more like deliberately feigning cluelessness so why bother.
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I take it it didn't go over well when you asked "May I search your bag?"
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Moved on to another user name?
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i was out past curfew on my bmx bike as a kid and a mtn bike cop tried to pull me over. i took off and he gave chase for a few blocks, but i hopped over this curb that had a 3 foot or so ledge on the other side. i heard him swear loudly followed by a crash which must have been him going over the ledge, but i didn't stop or look back to see what happened.
that has been my only interaction with a bike cop ever, though i saw them harassing the homeless a lot when i was living in sf.
that has been my only interaction with a bike cop ever, though i saw them harassing the homeless a lot when i was living in sf.
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