Originally Posted by Hr1 (Post 20975538)

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.

Originally Posted by Hr1 (Post 20975517)

Originally Posted by Hr1 (Post 20975538)

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.

Originally Posted by Hr1 (Post 20975538)

A fully loaded police MTB has to weigh around 100lbs

Originally Posted by livedarklions (Post 20975560)

Advanced degree in troll-threading?

Originally Posted by Skipjacks (Post 20975149)

There is an International Police Mountain Bike Association?

That is a very specific group.

Originally Posted by indyfabz (Post 20975587)

LMAO!

This doesn't even weigh 100 lbs.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8b67bdcc6f.jpg

Originally Posted by MEversbergII (Post 20974726)

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.

Originally Posted by Hr1 (Post 20975925)

A police mtb (Fuji, Cannon., Spec., etc.) weighs around 35lbs, the police equipment weighs around 50lbs. Voila' 85-90lbs.

Originally Posted by indyfabz (Post 20976104)

Which is not 100 lbs. More to the point, you know that how? Every policeman carries the same stuff? Everywhere in the world. The U.S.?

Long overdue addition to my iggy list.

Originally Posted by Skipjacks (Post 20974761)

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.

Originally Posted by livedarklions (Post 20976112)

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.

Originally Posted by Hr1 (Post 20975538)

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.

Originally Posted by Skipjacks (Post 20974761)

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.

Originally Posted by indyfabz (Post 20976949)

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.

Originally Posted by Maelochs (Post 20977036)

Whatever. The OP is clueless or more like deliberately feigning cluelessness so why bother.

Originally Posted by livedarklions (Post 20974559)

At this point, I think we're beating a dead bike.

Silly thread from a low information OP.