Police on ebikes!
- Thread starter PatriciaK
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JASmith
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- Region
- USA
When it comes to projecting authority though, mounted police sitting way up high on a 2000 pound horse with thundering hooves coming at you can't be beat. You're naturally looking up instead of eye level, and while you might be inclined to just push over a guy on an e-bike, you're not going to tip a horse who might end up turning and kicking you if the officer doesn't whop you on the top of the head first.
Actually, kind of reminds me of Jump Street:
theemartymac
Well-Known Member
Is there an Ultra Powered "Interceptor" model? lol 
ActionJackson
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Asia
- City
- Tokyo
9 out of 10 cops in Tokyo ride a bicycle. A few of them electrics too.
6zfshdb
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Northeast Pennsylvania
I passed my local Trek LBS a few days ago and saw 10 shiny new e-bikes on the floor. Finding a Trek e-bike around here is pretty rare so I just had to inquire. It turns out they were Trek Electric Police models about to be delivered to a local police department.
It's good to see local LEO's embracing this technology. Hopefully, they will get a grasp of what these bikes can and can't do and be supportive of the overall e-bike movement in the future.
It's good to see local LEO's embracing this technology. Hopefully, they will get a grasp of what these bikes can and can't do and be supportive of the overall e-bike movement in the future.
antboy
Well-Known Member
Road apples are an all too common problem here, since Toronto still loves its mounted police.
We have a twirl/point hand gesture to point out hazards on the trail/bike lane that is largely used for them.
Art Deco
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Selinsgrove Pennsylvania
Amish buggies here. Same "road apples" along the shoulders.
JASmith
Member
- Region
- USA
I'm not convinced it works like that. There are many officers that get quite mad when civilians have some of the same tools that they have, such as an open carry sidearm, and HPD still regularly writes civilians speeding tickets even though I don't think anyone has ever witnessed one coming to a stop at a stop sign, using a blinker, or obeying the speed limit themselves. People thought the same about drones, but most departments will fly their drones around civilians but if a civilian flies a drone over a police station or area they are patrolling they will not tolerate that.
They just roll their windows down or use the loudspeaker, that's not really a challenge, the biggest issue is the big Tahoes they use are very fuel inefficient and their massive size limits where they can and can't go.
The issue with pedal assisted e-bikes, at least legal ones, is that they are still pretty slow especially countries that limit the power to 250 watt. And while its great exercise, I'm not so sure how much exercise I'd want to do patrolling hot and humid environments like in Houston or New Orleans, especially if they are being safe and wearing vests.
The solution are motorcycles, where they can also fit a lot more gear and have more flexibility in speed since they are still ultra maneuverable at 2mph with a skilled officer yet can go 100mph, but ICE ones still get very hot and are a hazard to the public if going through crowded areas (hot exhaust) and cause noise pollution.
I think to be more flexible in how much weight they can carry, top speed, and still offer a more intimidating road presence to deter criminals would be electric motorcycles, but we're a couple years away from making them more affordable. Here is an example of a cop on a Zero dual sport, where he could even fit a cheap KelTec KS7 beanbag shotgun. proper first aid kit, ruggedized tablet computer, and other such equipment on board comfortably.
I've seen officers on Pedegos around my area, and some other much faster ebike I've yet to see up close. This is the urban area of Norfolk, VA. No longer go to the oceanfront so no idea what they use there. When I see the the Pedego police around their always fun to talk to. And the Pedego police have no idea what the faster ebikes are either because they are unbranded evaluation ebikes. Its nice seeing ebike police around!
6zfshdb
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Northeast Pennsylvania
I don't think this is quite the same thing. Sidearms and drones can be considered as threats to the public and the police. Ebikes pose no such threat. At the very least, LEO's will learn the limitations of e-bikes and understand that, contrary to popular belief, they won't tear up surfaces and scare people by doing wheelstands. These bikes will however give law enforcement a way to apprehend those who choose to ride irresponsibly.
You could be right however. Time will tell.
JASmith
Member
- Region
- USA
I don't know, statistics show that civilians with lawful sidearms have a murder conviction rate 1/10th that of police officers themselves, and a popular DJI Mavic Mini weighs only 249 grams with self-collapsing propellers meaning you could pretty much fly top speed into someone's chest and it would just bounce off. The eyes are a sensitive concern, but that's even true throwing paper airplanes or shooting rubber bands.
Regarding learning limitations, that might depend on how powerful of e-bikes the department chooses, as from my research there's certainly a wide variety of e-bikes available from stealth 250 watt ultra light ones to moped style that can hit 30mph+ and weigh a hundred pounds and could certainly hurt a pedestrian (which is actually one I was excited about if not for the price, the Hyper Scorpion Express in that bright yellow).
It might just prove harder to fool them if they become very familiar with which bikes are over 750 watt.
Art Deco
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Selinsgrove Pennsylvania
Exactly. It's the way the bike is used that matters.
JASmith
Member
- Region
- USA
I agree, I think its a third nanny state, a third tax revenue, and a third legitimate safety concern for others.
Nanny state is that if it goes fast and isn't DOT approved then an individual can be putting themselves at risk (which I think people should be allowed to do, my body, my right), they also like every time someone sells a used car they have to pay taxes and registration fees and so forth and would miss the revenue, and lastly in places where bicycles aren't just sharing streets with cars where its a total non-issue and have say bridges or narrow blind park paths where pedestrians and e-bikes are in close and frequent proximity they want to keep the weight/speed/acceleration of the e-bikes down but I would solve that by just putting speed limit signs up so powerful bikes can just slow down or get a ticket.
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