IPMBA News

Bringing “BuRT” to South Carolina

by Joseph R. DuPree, PCI #1599-B
University of South Carolina Division of Law Enforcement

The capabilities of police bicycle patrol have evolved, and the demand for bike patrol teams has never been greater.  As an example, during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, the city deployed 300 bike officers.  These officers were used as rapid response units, providing crowd control and other crowd management elements. 

Since the 1980’s, utilization of bicycles in law enforcement has made a significant comeback.  In the 1800’s, law enforcement officers used bikes as transportation and to patrol for criminal activities, but they later fell out of vogue with the advent of the automobile (The Complete Guide to Police Cycling, © 1996, IPMBA).  Bicycles are very effective in a many circumstances, including high crime areas, residential and business districts, multi-use trails and parks, and more.  Many cities and towns have strip malls, apartment complexes, and neighborhoods, which are perfect locations to use traditional bike patrol units due to their flexibility and ease of movement in dense or compacted areas. However, with the increase in marches, and protests and the riots that often result, we must move to the next phase of bike patrol tactics.  These tactics are generally classified as the Bicycle Response Team (BRT) or Bicycle Rapid Response Team (BRRT), pronounced “BuRT”.

Like any other police force or specialized unit, a well-rounded bike patrol program needs to stay current with the trends and train in the tactics employed in their utilization.  Many departments use bike patrols effectively for community policing; however, this should not be the only reason to employ bike patrol units in your department.  The bicycle is a very versatile and tactical tool for the forward-thinking law enforcement agency. 

A bike patrol supervisor or instructor(s) can be one of your department’s most valuable assets.  This year I had the great opportunity to attend the IPMBA Conference in Asheville, North Carolina.  The conference was open to any law enforcement, EMS, and security department personnel who operate bicycles in the line of duty.  At the conference, a varied selection of seminars and certification courses were available to attendees.  I went with the specific goal of becoming a BRT instructor for my department.  All of the classes at the conference were designed to add more services and tactical knowledge/skills to both your bike patrol and your department.  A brief selection of the many training opportunities available included:  Krav Maga for Public Safety Cyclists, Use of Bikes in Disaster Operations and Search and Rescue, and Bicycle Response Team Training.

Basic Bike Patrol Training

I believe that training in a structured environment using standardized programs is the best approach to teaching bike patrol knowledge, skills, and tactics, especially to new bike officers.  As such, I am a certified instructor for both IPMBA and LEBA.  I strive to provide a uniform and time-tested foundation on which to build or enhance a bike patrol program. 

The training provides officers with the basics of bike patrol tactics, nutrition, maintenance, and riding skills.  It focuses primarily on teaching individual officers how to operate their bicycles on patrol as both single bike units and in teams of two.  However, BRT teaches officers to work in larger teams. 

My Quest for BuRT

My quest to bring BuRT to South Carolina began almost four years ago when I started reading articles about bicycle crowd control and management.  I found this form of tactical training to be well-suited to many an environment in South Carolina, and to my law enforcement department specifically.           I spent hours reading articles and watching videos to learn as much as I could.  I then pitched the idea to my command staff and found them to be supportive. 

I started by contacting LEBA to gauge their interest in hosting a class.  Unfortunately, they required I recruit fifty bike officers for the class.  My efforts to garner such   large-scale interest did not bear the results I had hoped.  Several months later and after multiple rejections, I contacted IPMBA. 

Their request for a minimum of seven officers was easier for me to accommodate.  Ultimately, we made arrangements and contracted two instructors from IPMBA to conduct the Bicycle Response Team (BRT) Training.  On three extremely hot July days in 2015, eight officers from my department and myself attended the first BRT class in South Carolina. 

After the class, I knew the subsequent demand for additional course offerings would be high if we could overcome the lack of awareness surrounding the existence of this type of training.  It was then that I set my sights on becoming an instructor, a goal I achieved at the IPMBA Conference in Asheville.

Bicycle Response Team Training

Bicycle Response Teams started in Los Angeles, Seattle, Philadelphia, and other large cities that have long experienced large-scale rallies and protests.  Prior to the advent of the program, bike officers were often used as scouts to obtain intelligence on the ground and communicate the information to their incident commanders. 

BRTs added more capabilities to the bike officers by placing them on the front lines.  Because officers on bikes are faster than officers on foot, they can outpace protesters and marchers.  In addition, they can maneuver into and around places that motor vehicles cannot. The BRT training incorporates traditional Mobile Field Force tactics such as moving and stationary lines, wedges, and echelons (“Police Bicycle Use in Crowd Control Situations”, by Mike Goetz, Law and Order magazine, April 2002). 

However, the best part of this training is that it teaches officers to work in a strike team, a squad, or in platoon elements.  As such, bike patrol officers are able to work side-by-side with more traditional Mobile Field Force units. 

The training focuses on working as a unit with a strict command structure.  The techniques are practiced until the officers can perform the maneuvers quickly and with razor sharp precision. 

Beyond Rallies and Marches

Although BRTs were developed for rallies and protests, this does not mean that is all they can be utilized for.  BRTs can be used at athletic events, concerts, and large festivals or fairs.  In these operations, BRTs are utilized as quick response teams and crowd management units rather than as a crowd control mechanism. 

Officers would respond to incidents like fights in progress or medical calls.  One officer provides security for the bikes and the others follow the team leader.  The security officer could stay with the bikes or just lag behind to secure the bikes together.  The other officers are assigned scene security or arrest detail.  (“Bicycle cops making impact in Minn. City”, September 2013, http://www.policeone.com).

The Bicycle Response Team model is a very flexible and scalable program.  It provides a uniform training structure, which in turn allows bike officers from different departments to work together efficiently and effectively.  So whether a bike team is working bike week in Myrtle Beach, a protest at the Statehouse, or a University of South Carolina football game with 80,000 people, they function as a unified team equipped with and ready to employ the most up-to-date tactics and safety measures to control any situation or threat.

Joseph R. DuPree is currently the Corporal over the Bicycle Patrol Unit for the University of South Carolina Division of Law Enforcement and Safety.  He has been in Law Enforcement since 1998 and has served the majority of my career in the capacity of Bike Patrol Officer. He believes firmly in bike patrol’s ability to play a central role in everyday law enforcement duties, regardless of the size of one’s department.  He was certified as an IPMBA Police Cyclist in 1998, a LEBA Mountain Bike Officer in 2006; a LEBA Instructor in 2008; an IPMBA Instructor and BRT Instructor in 2016.  He can be reached at dupreej@mailbox.sc.edu.

Photos courtesy Joseph DuPree. 

(c) 2016 IPMBA.  This article appeared in the Fall 2016 issue of IPMBA News. 

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