Electronic police bikes take to Greenwich Avenue

By Robert Marchant, Greenwich Time, January 10, 2021

Photo:  Officers Robert Smurlo (right) and Nick Carl (left) of the Greenwich Police Department’s Bike Unit demonstrate the new electronic bikes they are using. Contributed / Greenwich Police Department

GREENWICH — Greenwich police have a new item in their tool bag to use in helping to maintain order: electronic bikes.

The department’s Bike Unit will now be able to hit higher speeds than conventional two-wheelers, and cruise up the steep slopes of Greenwich Avenue without breaking a sweat.

“They are more effective for rapid response in the congestion of the central business district and will go 30 miles an hour,” police Capt. Mark Zuccerella said.

The new vehicles have already been deployed in central Greenwich, as part of a larger reformulation of police resources in the area.

About a half-dozen officers are trained for bike patrols in the police department, but the number of cops on two wheels varies from day to day.

The bikes were paid for by an anonymous local donor, according to the department. Electronic bikes typically cost well over $1,000 each, and police models in the range of $2,500 each.

The bike unit is part of the police department’s community-policing initiative, giving officers a better chance to interact with merchants, shoppers and the general public.

The new bikes have thick tires to handle a off-road terrain, and they are battery operated. They also allow officers to move quickly and quietly.

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