Five Rivers MetroParks Police

Submitted by Lt. Mark Arendt, PCI #376
Five Rivers MetroParks (OH) Police

Five Rivers MetroParks Police Department was awarded the 2015 Ohio Parks and Recreation Association (OPRA) Law Enforcement Award of Excellence for the IPMBA Police Cyclist Certification Program.

Congratulations to the Five Rivers MetroParks Police Department Bike Team, especially IPMBA Instructors Ken Becker, Adam Gaby, and Trent Roach, who submitted the IPMBA program for consideration.  The text of their application follows for education and inspiration. 

Primary Purpose of the Project/Program

The primary purpose of this week-long program is to provide law enforcement officers from the Dayton region, including park rangers, with a means of receiving International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA) certification as Bicycle Officers.  Five Rivers MetroParks’ Ranger Department leads this training, and has provided it to officers from 39 area law enforcement organizations.  These organizations utilize bike patrol on a regular basis, making it a critical skill for officers to master.  Five Rivers MetroParks has five IPMBA-certified instructors on staff.  The training is open to area law enforcement agencies to provide them with an excellent, low-cost opportunity to get their officers certified as Bicycle Officers while enhancing the positive relationships and communication Five Rivers MetroParks has with its regional law enforcement partners.

Goals & Objectives

The Police Cyclist Certification Program has three primary goals:

• Train officers to become certified Bicycle Officers through the curriculum required by the International Police Mountain Bike Association;
• Increase safety of a community by providing patrols that are cost-effective; and
• Patrol areas that may not be easily covered with a motorized force.

The program’s objective is to provide the annual training for at least 20 officers from area law enforcement jurisdictions.

Evaluation

The program has met its goals.  Officers are trained with the rigorous IPMBA curriculum during the program.  They learn bike nomenclature, maintenance, clothing and equipment requirements, fitness and nutrition, vehicular cycling, patrol tactics, night operations, avoiding hazards, and negotiating obstacles.  Officers must pass a written exam, a bike-handling course, and a challenging road-riding test to be certified.  These assessments measure the officers’ ability to handle the bike in challenging situations and through obstacles they will encounter on patrol.  The officers use their new skills to make communities safer through cost-effective bike patrols.

Five Rivers MetroParks has provided this annual training for 11 years and has trained and certified approximately 200 officers.  The 2015 training program included 24 officers participating from 13 area law enforcement jurisdictions.

Community Engagement/Volunteer Resources

Five Rivers MetroParks rangers provide the program’s training, with assistance from volunteer instructors from other local agencies.  Those include the Kettering and Centerville Police Departments, along with the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Fire Department.

Bike patrol officers are perceived by the public to be more approachable and accessible.  This training provides officers throughout the region with the ability to provide a new, proactive means of engaging the citizens they serve.

Sponsors & Partners

Five Rivers MetroParks works with 39 Dayton-area law enforcement organizations as well as the International Police Mountain Bike Association to provide the training.

Challenges & Creative Solutions

Completing the required curriculum in five training days is a major challenge.  There is a large amount of information for students to grasp in this short amount of time.  People learn at different rates.  Not everyone responds to the same training methods.  To overcome this, Five Rivers MetroParks assembled a team of instructors with a wide range of experience in different areas.  The team members complement each other.  When a student is slow to respond to one style of instruction, a different instructor is ready to step in and try a new approach.  

Overall Impact

This program impacts the law enforcement community in the entire Dayton region, as well as the community at large by making our communities safer.  The officers who receive this training are equipped with another tool that makes a positive impact on crime and public relations in their jurisdictions. Proactive bike patrol enables officers to observe, prevent and interdict crime.

Bike patrol officers are perceived by the public as more approachable and thus have an opportunity to interact with citizens to build relationships of trust, which helps to deter crime.  In addition, bike patrol creates more fit officers.  And because bike patrol has zero emissions, making it an Earth-friendly way to patrol, and makes people feel safer being outdoors, this program is an excellent fit with Five Rivers MetroParks’ mission to protect the region’s natural heritage and provide outdoor experiences that inspire a personal connection with nature.

(c) 2016 IPMBA.  This article appeared in the Summer 2016 issue of IPMBA News. 

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