Avon police add motorized bike to patrol fleet
By Dylan Reynolds, The Chronicle-Telegram, August 14, 2020
Photo: Patrol and School Resource Officer David Layne, right, poses with Capt. Larry Fischbach and the motorized bike Layne won for the Avon Police Department in a contest.
AVON OH — The bike patrol just got an upgrade at the Avon Police Department.
The force was recently awarded a Recon Police Power Bike after Patrol and School Resource Officer David Layne won first prize in a contest from a company associated with the International Police Mountain Bike Association.
Layne, a 17-year veteran of the department, approached Capt. Larry Fischbach in May about the contest and was notified early this month that he had won.
The bike is fitted with an electric motor, lithium ion battery and LCD control, according to a news release. It also comes equipped with 4-inch puncture-resistant tires and a heavy-duty frame. Top speeds on the bike are around 30 mph. It is capable of reaching a 50-mile range, depending on use.
Recon Police Power Bikes go for between $1,300 and $1,500 on the market, said Public Information Officer Jim Drozdowski.
“(Layne) was training on it the other day and he was up at 25 miles an hour and he said it handled well and he was able to do a lot of different things with it,” Drozdowski said. “… Actually, you can’t hear it coming. He said it’s completely quiet.”
The motorized bike can also ride over curbs with ease and navigate trails.
Layne’s contest victory also earned him a light package, riding glasses, a complete bike uniform and free admittance to next year’s International Police Mountain Bike Association conference. This year’s conference was canceled due to the pandemic.
Avon police currently have five officers eligible for bike patrol. They took training classes at Notre Dame College in South Euclid in 2018 and are members of the International Police Mountain Bike Association.
Bike patrol officers carry radios and can respond to calls as needed, but they also serve a community relations function.
“The biggest thing was getting them out into the neighborhoods and residential areas during the day, just to see what’s going on and talk to the kids and everything,” Drozdowski said. “And we get them in the business areas too because they can get around some of the stores a lot faster than a cruiser depending on what’s going on.”
Layne will be evaluating the Recon Police Power Bike’s overall operational capabilities, and additional bikes may be added to the program depending on the evaluation and practicality.
The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented the department from having any safety fairs where officers can give the community an inside look at law enforcement and equipment, but Drozdowski said he hopes officers can get the new bike out in the community more because it is “so unique looking that we know it’s going to catch attention and start conversations.”