tpelle

I was flying back from Portland, OR to Cincinnati on Friday, with a connection in Salt Lake City. While waiting for my connecting fligh, I saw an SLC police officer ride through the terminal on a Specialized mountain bike. When I landed in Cincinnati, I noticed an airport policeman on a Trek mountain bike.

This sure looks a lot more effective than the Segways I saw the police using at the airport recently in Philadelphia!

Oh, I noticed that the SLC cop had a set of red/blue blinkie lights on the handlebar - probably LED, I guess, but I couldn't get a close enough look. I wonder if he had a little siren for those times when in "hot pursuit"?

scattered73

Every time I run into bike patrol, which is always on thier training rides, I find myself cracking up. I have seen them once pacelining on one of the paths which was funny they were traveling at about 10 mph on mtb's with a full support vehicle following on the road next to the path. Then recently saw them on the mtb trails at our local park doing action shots, then the same day in a different area I saw them pull out a unicycle (I doubt this was police issue), I would love to see them discharge a weepon on one of these. On a good note they are always very friendly and I am happy to see them out there using alternative sources of transportation and Houston heat is not the most ideal conditions. Keep up the good work HPD.

apclassic9

There was a conference for (i think) the International Bicycle Police (or something like that) in Charleston WV a few years ago - the shop I used at the time was one fo the shipping destinations for the conference, and they must have had 200 bikes shipped in from all over the world for that conference! They seem to try to use sturdy bikes, and lean towards MTBs - Charleston WV has some bike patrols, and I think they're cute. They also travel with about 40 pounds of stuff attached to them. They do have races against each other at these annual conferences while wearing full gear - all that heavy cop stuff (gun, flashlight, radio, handcuffs, etc...

So, next time you're out on the trail with a 25 pound bike, think 35 pounds plus another 10-15 pounds of gear on your body, tooling along city streets all day long - rain, shine, wind & snow, and give those bike cops the cudos they deserve!

tpelle

Yeah, regarding the comment about the unicycle - a friend of mine is a policeman, and I can tell you that these guys can develop a warped sense of humor. Among friends - usually other cops - they are definitely not shy about poking fun at each other. I bet the unicycle got a few laughs.

I bet the mountain bike is really great for that duty - giving the cop "mechanized" mobility in situations where others are mostly on foot. If I were a cop, I'd sure feel better about being on a mtb instead of on one of those stupid Segway things.

stapfam

I did a ride a few years ago and it was run by the County police. 100 miles a day average but plenty of stops each day for refreshments and to pick up/drop off riders. Had most of the counties Police cycle riders out there with us at some time and It is surprising how far you can ride a bike that is heavy-in full police gear and with a large amount of Extras fixed to it.

Now this was a Ride- organised by the police- Plenty of Police vehicles about with signs on them warning the other road users that there were cyclists about-Riders in the "Pelaton" on Police bikes in police uniform and Police motor bike outriders. Surprising how many car drivers got pulled for "Driving without due care and attention".

Those Police bikes have proved usefull in the cities and towns over here. They can patrol large areas and They appear as if from nowhere. Just waiting for the time when they start patrolling the Offroad trails and catching the Walkers abusing the trails.

maddyfish

I agree cheaper and more useful than a segway.
Our department has Cannondales ( that was my doing while on council) Made In USA

ib4it

Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Segways are taking over.

They require less effort, and at the end of an 8hr shift the rider is less inclined to get his azz stomped into the ground by a POS criminal.

It is also more maneuverable and the mileage tends to be greater per shift than bicycles. Plus there is less of a limitation of available/willing/able officers to ride Segways.

The line of sight is higher for a Segway rider too, another big plus.

The most important statistic is that when they are in use, parking lot crime is not happening.

Maybe it is just a case of the criminal being intimidated by something new, but I doubt it.

If they were cheap no one would be complaining about them. They are also starting to overcome GOLF carts, they have a clear advantage in playing time and the amount of green fees per hour a course can collect.

BTW, I do not have a Segway, want one, have any use for one, or have any financial interest in them. If somebody gave me a Segway I would stick it in the corner with my Harley and never ride it either.

maddyfish

This says something about the state of our policemen's health.

wahoonc

Funny you should mention that...when I was working up in the Newport News, VA area a while back. They had an officer die of a heart attack while chasing somebody on foot, fairly young officer at that (44 if memory serves me) it brought out the fact that while new recruits had to meet a certain physical standard and pass a PT type test to get on the force they were not required to keep it up. Not sure what the outcome was.

Aaron