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IPMBA Implemented: "Instant Success"

IPMBA inspires launch of Sandpoint Bike Unit

By Det. Chris Higbee, PCI #607
Sandpoint Police Department (ID)

The Sandpoint, ID, Police Department has recently established a bike patrol team that has seen great success. The Department initially put patrol officers on bikes several years ago out of necessity during special event days, such as the Fourth of July and the "Lost in the Fifties" celebration, a parade of 600-800 classic cars.

These special events freeze up our downtown area and it is quite often impossible to get a patrol car through in an emergency, let alone to patrol the area. We began with found property bikes taken in through patrol and then later inherited by the department. Of course, we never seemed to get the kind of dependable, higher end bikes that we needed. We wore polo-style shirts with the department's name on our chest, but the rest of our clothing was our own. We were functional, but not at all professional-looking.

Times have changed for us in the last several years - for the better. These changes are primarily the result of the experience, training and organization that IPMBA and its instructors have offered us. Being able to attend an IPMBA Conference and have our own IPMBA Instructor has helped our department and its bike unit to grow tremendously. We have also seen some great support from our department's administration and our community.

All of our bike officers are now trained and certified as Police Cyclists through IPMBA, which has helped us with unity in how we patrol and has given us the tools to improve our safety. We have received generous donations from local businesses and funds from our Police auctions that have enabled us to purchase the equipment that we have desperately needed. Each officer who patrols our city on bike now has a professional, comfortable bike uniform as well as a high-quality mountain bike equipped with emergency lights and a full patrol bag.

Our department has seen tremendous success in the reduction of crime in the last couple of years. Our bike officers traditionally have 3-4 times as many self-initiated and "observational" arrests as our patrol car officers. Nearly a quarter of a million dollars in drug money was seized incident to an arrest by one of our bike officers. During one of our busy summer months, each call for service during a day shift rotation was met by a bike officer before a car officer, every time. We have implemented annual bike rodeos and a reward program for kids caught wearing their helmets. Because we have seen such success, we have gone from dusting off the bikes for 2-3 events per year to having a regularly scheduled bike patrol shift. We are having a great time.

Our successes have also been accompanied by some trials. One of the biggest challenges, believe it or not, has been the enthusiasm and unity that we bike officers have developed. The patrol officers who remain in cars have, in the past, resented being turned into transport units for our numerous prisoners. We have greatly improved relations, however, by having some of our regular patrol officers take the IPMBA Police Cyclist Course even if they are not planning on riding while on patrol. They are then able to experience the rigors and trials of bike patrol, the instant unity that we feel, and the needs that we have. We now see great support from these officers as well as others and have become a full team of officers that rely on each other.

We have seen the benefits of implementing IPMBA into our bike unit. We thank all those that have put forth effort into making IPMBA what it is today. We recognize that our success is reflective of them. I am planning on attending the next conference held in San Antonio and hope to see you there.

Chris can be reached at chigbee@rmin.riss.net.

© 2004 IPMBA. This article first appeared in the Winter 2004 issue of IPMBA News.