MCT donates bikes to Highland police
The Highland News Leader, May 11, 2017
Photo: MCT staff presents two patrol bikes to members of the Highland Police Department. From left are MCT staff member David Cobb, Highland Chief of Police Terry Bell, MCT Managing Director Jerry Kane, and HPD officers Heather Kunz and Shawn Bland.
Highland IL --In recognition of May as National Bike Month and in an effort to facilitate the development of police bicycle patrol programs in Madison County municipalities, Madison County Transit recently donated two iForce police bicycles to the Highland Police Department.
In the last three years, MCT has also donated patrol bikes to police departments in Alton, Edwardsville, and Maryville. Granite City and East Alton departments will be receiving bikes from MCT later this month. The program allows officers to patrol both the streets, neighborhoods and MCT Trails in their community — in this case, officers can use the bikes to patrol Highland’s Sursee Trail. Since police officers in uniform ride MCT fixed-route buses for free, and all MCT buses are equipped with bike racks, officers can also take advantage of the bike and bus program to travel throughout the community.
The mountain bike-style bicycles have been custom designed by iForce, a U.S. company that manufactures patrol bicycles exclusively. The Cyclery & Fitness Center assembles and services the bikes. Each bicycle is equipped with “thumb-switch controlled” vehicle-grade sirens, public address speakers and flashing LED lights. The bikes are designed and manufactured for heavy-duty law enforcement use, complete with puncture-resistant Kevlar tires, an adjustable air shock and mechanical disc brakes for greater stopping power.