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IPMBA and Police Cycling Deputy Chief Lee Benson, Upper Dublin Police Department Chief S. Michael Murphy, Upper Moreland Police Department Chief Jason Schiffer, Bethlehem Police Department
IPMBA and Police Cycling • History of Police Cycling – First use in 1869 in Illinois – By 1893 adopted by many US cities • Philadelphia, Brooklyn NY, Cincinnati, Chicago • 1895 New York City – Bike patrols grew into early 20 th century • By 1907 Indianapolis’ 10 officer bike unit made over 2,500 arrests, 25% of the entire police department’s total • By 1917 there were 1,200 bike officers in New York City
IPMBA and Police Cycling • History Contd. – With the introduction of motorized patrol bike patrols were replaced with patrol cars – By the mid 1930s with radio and telephone technologies growing police departments switched from patrol to response models – By the end of WW II bikes were rarely used in modern police operations – As Community Oriented Policing philosophies emerged so did the interest in police bicycling – Seattle PD is credited with revitalizing the professions interest in police cycling in 1987
IPMBA and Police Cycling • History Contd. – Bicycle policing continued to grow – In 1993 police cycling was barely mentioned – By 1997 28% of police agencies surveyed had police cycling units – By 2003 that number grew to 38% routinely used bikes and 7% use bike patrol occasionally
IPMBA and Police Cycling • In 1991 the League of American Bicyclist recognized the need for a organization to facilitate police cycling • 1992 The International Police Mountain Bike Association was formed • In 1993 the first training of officers in police specific skills was taught to 90 officers by the first IPMBA instructors in Ft. Lauderdale, FL • 1996 the first Complete Guide to Police Cycling was published • 1997 IPMBA added EMS cycling to its training program • 1998 IPMBA separated from the League and assumed its current identity
IPMBA and Police Cycling • Training: – Basic IPMBA class is a minimum of 32 hours based upon the Complete Guide to Public Safety Cycling, 2 nd edition published in 2007 – Most training classes are 40 hours in length, taught by IPMBA certified instructors – IPMBA also offers specialized training such as; Public Safety Cyclist II Course, Survival Tactics & Riding Skills Course, Instructor Course, Maintenance Officer Course, Bicycle Response Team Training for Police and EMS, Night Ops-Firearms and Tactics TM Course (I & II ), MMR- IPMBA Core Skills and Scenarios Clinic, Krav Maga for Public Safety Cyclists as well as EMS Cyclist Course, EMS Cyclist II TM Course and Security Cyclist Course
IPMBA and Police Cycling
IPMBA and Police Cycling Health & Wellness Nutrition • In addition to safe cycling • Nutrition is an important practices and tactics element of fitness and IPMBA training also health. The program includes segments on: looks at: – Energy systems of the – Factors unique to public body safety professionals – Principles of training – 7 Major risk factors of Cardiovascular Disease – Performance Indicators – Nutrients – Weight Management – Dietary Guidelines – Stretching & Flexibility – Individual Food Pyramids – Hydration – Food Labeling – Cycling Injuries – Supplements
IPMBA and Police Cycling • Equipment – Good quality Mountain Bike or Hybrid Medium to high end components (Pay peanuts get monkeys) Multispeed Customize equipment bags and lighting Pedal Retention a must Helmet, gloves and eyewear a must Always wear body armor
IPMBA and Police Cycling • Equipment Contd. – Bike specific Uniforms Uniform Shorts & Pants Uniform Shirts Jackets (Water Resistant) Shoes & Socks Helmets and Gloves Hydration Belt & Holsters ( level III )
IPMBA and Police Cycling • Creating a Police Bicycle Unit – First determine the interest level of your community, your government administrators and the elected officials of your community – Determine the interest of the members of your agency. Remember this should be an all volunteer unit – Analyze the type of unit you intend to form. A part-time or full- time unit – Develop minimum qualifications for your bike officers. Never waiver on this basic qualifications. It will lead to problems • Minimum qualifications on fitness, activity, citizen contacts and commitment • Depending on the size of your agency you might want to create a selection committee. • As the agency head retain veto power over any candidates – Develop comprehensive policies on operations
IPMBA and Police Cycling • Setting up your unit – Full time or part time – it doesn’t matter Make sure there is someone designated to be in charge Make it part of your policy that all members must attend a basic cycling class (IPMBA) prior to working in the unit Ensure the unit receives all mandated and necessary equipment Ensure there is ongoing and specialized training available to your unit Never use shortcuts to achieve the goals of the unit Public Safety Cycling is not like riding your shore cruiser on the boardwalk Public Safety Cyclists are highly trained specialized police officers who deserve the support of the agency and its administrators, members and staff
IPMBA and Police Cycling Now your ready to start your unit. It’s time to look at: • funding • what types of issues your new public safety bicycle unit will undertake.
IPMBA and Police Cycling Chief Jason D. Schiffer, Esq. (Retired) City of Bethlehem Police Department
Is Police Cycling Effective? • Police Cycling and the Community – Excuses: Because of ______________, we can’t afford to put cops out on bikes. – My conclusion: You cannot afford NOT to police on bikes in your jurisdiction.
Is Police Cycling Effective? • Why? Effectiveness – As an enforcement tool – As a positive force in the community
As an Enforcement Tool • Measuring police effectiveness is an elusive and difficult task • Little research has been done on bicycle patrols • 2007 Police Study by Chris Menton – Bicycle Patrols: an underutilized resource • Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI • Methodology – Five cities – Compare car patrol v. bike patrol
Car v. Bike Results • Arrests: – Felonies – Bikes were 125% higher – Misdemeanors: Bikes were 219% higher • Vice Incidents – Bikes were 873% higher • Crimes Discovered – Bikes were 252% higher • Parking Violations – Bikes were 349% higher • Motorist Assists – Bikes were 927% higher
Car v. Bike Results • Study also revealed: – Statistics miss close to 90% of what a bike officer does. – Serious/Somewhat Serious/Non-Serious _________________________________________________________________________________________________ – Serious/Somewhat serious: Bikes = Cars – Non-Serious: Bikes 3x greater than cars
Non-Serious Encounters Is it worth it? • May have a positive impact on the perception of the police. • It is impossible to build good will when you need it.
Hey, Cop! Ride a Wheelie! • Over 500k views • The Chive • Twitter • Facebook • Reddit
Bridge the Gap
Is Police Cycling Effective? • As effective – Serious Enforcement • Far superior – Non-serious • Unmatched – Public relations Is it impossible to build good will when you need it.
What is a BRT? A group of bike officers who are trained to ride and operate as a team for: • crowd control, • security functions, • scene perimeter patrol, • other MIRT or Field Force operations.
Abilities • Quick Response from one hot spot to another • Stealthy Response gives crowd less time to react • Less Officers can cover larger area
Team Size • Minimum of 6 officers to perform BRT functions and maneuvers. • A large BRT team of 24 or more officers can be divided into squads to handle various crowd control functions similar to any Field Force Unit.
BRT Officer Selection • BRT Officers can come from a large Bike Unit from a single agency or a Regional Team which works very well for smaller agencies. • BRT Officers are usually MIRT or Field Force trained too. • We require all BRT officers be IPMBA certified.
Member Traits – Superior cycling skills – Above-average stamina – Able to work within chain of command – Team-oriented – Able to learn, remember, and perform maneuvers – Willing to work long hours
Training • BRT should train extensively – Basic concepts and movements – Throughout the year and just prior to any large event
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