By Lt. Jim Rafelski
Romulus Police Department (MI)
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(Ed.'s note: Still not convinced
of the value of a police bike patrol and the need for bike-specific training
for cops on bikes? Read on to discover how Lt. Rafelski applied what he learned
in his initial IPMBA training and its immediate effectiveness. Then register
today for the premiere training event for public safety cyclists. The knowledge
shared during the conference is certain to increase your effectiveness, too.
This article was originally a letter directed to the IPMBA Instructor who
taught the Police Cyclist Course which the officers attended.)
I admit it. I was a little skeptical of your predictions and the insight
you offered regarding the multiple uses and potential of a mountain bike
on police patrol. But after just four patrol sessions, I'm convinced. The
use of the bike for both crime suppression and citizen contacts far exceeds
my expectations. Your predictions were right on target. It is unfortunate
that the common administrative perception that bikes are strictly for fun
and recreation still exists. It is apparent that bike patrol unit supervisors
must be given a complete understanding of bike patrol in order to fully
understand its potential.
So far, we have operated our unit in a team approach. About two days per
week, the entire unit breaks into two teams consisting of three bike officers
and one vehicle officer. Each team targets a known area of criminal operation.
Based on our actions and successes to date, we are already investing in the
following: two new mountain bikes, three new patrol car bike racks, and new
black CoolmaxJ shirts for more stealth on night patrol.
We have developed quite an incentive plan for the bike officers. Officers
who make felony arrests receive colorful/reflective "Killer Bee" stickers
for the backs of their bicycle helmets. We continue to award small
colorful/reflective stars for falls, to be worn on the side of the helmet.
Do not underestimate the desire for these stickers. My unit is very competitive
and sports-minded, and our sticker system is modeled after the football helmet
award system used by many colleges. We conduct a unit analysis to make sure
that each "Killer Bee" is properly earned. Of course, the Chief approves,
but officially we refer to these as "Bumble Bee" stickers for political
correctness!
The patrol sessions have a dual-faceted approach. We usually start at 6 p.m.
with a PR theme, and then spend the first two to three hours in the subdivision
- making citizen contacts, answering service calls, and doing residential
traffic. This is a great PR tool for both the department and the unit. My
biggest challenge is preventing my officers and myself from accepting every
dinner/BBQ offer we get! Residential traffic enforcement during this part
of the patrol has been highly successful. If we have been getting complaints
on a residential street, we station a bike officer equipped with a hand-held
laser on that street. The two other bike officers position themselves at
the next stop sign past the laser officer. It is routine to have at least
10-15 stops per half hour from this type of enforcement along with the companion
offenses of DWLS, warrants, open Intox, etc. It is common to attract quite
an audience of supportive residents, who sit on their porches to observe
our actions. We use this residential patrol opportunity to make contact with
children and pass out materials and gifts with a safety theme. The only drawback
is the "posse" of kids who want to assist and follow us.
We usually take a short lunch break at darkness and then move enforcement
into the areas that have historically needed crime suppression. The stealth
nature of the bikes, coupled with the failure of criminals to perceive someone
on a bike as a cop has actually made this as easy as predicted! Here is a
brief list of some of our accomplishments to date. I am sure that more will
follow!
NARCOTICS ARRESTS
On our first day of patrol, three of us observed a vehicle backed into a
park in one of our high narcotics areas. The vehicle was in a position to
observe any approaching cars, and was probably on the look-out for police
cars. At first we thought the occupants' heads were looking down to "roll
a couple." When we pedaled up to the side of the car we observed that they
were breaking up and repackaging a couple of ounces of weed. Imagine their
surprise when they looked up. I know they didn't see us coming through the
field and across the playground and I am not sure they initially knew who
we were when they looked up. During one of their interviews the next day,
there was a complaint that using cops on bikes was "bulls#*@".
In that same area the following week, we make our first crack distribution
arrest. The dealers have been using bicycles to sell and transport the crack
and money. Failure to use a headlight after dark has made our initial contacts
easy. Our first arrest started with a contact for that very reason and ended
up with an arrest, as crack was located concealed in a folded knit cap that
was being worn. This type of enforcement will be ongoing and I anticipate
the need to continuously adapt to the changes that I am sure the dealers
will make to combat our bike patrol.
We have made several marijuana possession arrests in the hotel district.
Patrol of the parking lots provides contacts with hotel guests who go out
to their cars to smoke weed, probably to avoid the smell that would linger
in a hotel room. These arrests also present us with the opportunity to search
hotel rooms. So far no big seizures have resulted from these searches, but
I predict one will occur soon.
TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT
I have lost track of the number of tickets and verbal warnings that have
been issued. The first day of patrol resulted in 12 tickets, six verbal warnings,
a DWLS arrest, a warrant arrest, and an improper plate and vehicle impound.
You can imagine the nightmare of keeping track of these figures. Let's just
say it is like shooting fish in a barrel.
MISCELLANEOUS
A shooting recently occurred inside of an apartment, just as the officers
were walking up to the front door. They called radio for assistance and the
perp ran out the front door into their arms. Two bike officers responded
to the call from about 1.25 miles away where they were patrolling in another
apartment complex. They both were the first back-up officers to arrive at
the scene. The patrol car video captured (fuzzy and distant) one of the officers
making a nice dismount, throwing the bike, and entering the apartment to
assist the supervisor sweep the inside of the apartment and assist the subject
who was shot. It was funny to hear the comments/criticisms of tape watchers
on the officer's treatment of the expensive police mountain bike...they thought
he should have used the kickstand! I quickly set them straight. The officers
stated that as they were pedaling to the scene, they were conscious of the
images of officers who "had no legs left" observed in your class. They both
attributed this awareness to your training. They said they "had legs left"
when they arrived, but also admitted that they were "kind of rubbery."
We had our first fleeing and eluding case while on bicycles. This is going
to be a felony charge as it occurred in a subdivision. The citizens in the
subdivision assisted the officers with information that led to the identification
of the suspect. The suspect has since been contacted, interviewed, and has
confessed.
This article originally appeared in the 2002 Conference Registration Issue
of IPMBA News.
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