I Remember When…
by Artie Gonzales, PCI #141
Topeka (KS) Police Department (ret.)
Photo: San Antonio 2004: Eppie and Artie at the Registration Desk. Courtesy Jeff Shari.
Just the other day, my partner, sergeant and I were heading to San Antonio, Texas, for the IPMBA conference. No, not the one in 2004, the one in 1994! Our bike unit had hit the bricks in April of 1993, after a weekend “shake and bake” course the three of us had attended in Omaha. This was not a certified course, but it ignited a fire within us all about this new idea of police on bikes. We were fortunate that we had a major who was 100% supportive. In fact, he had read an article about police on bikes and got the ball rolling. There were naysayers in the administration who felt this was a waste of time and a poor utilization of manpower. We had to take our own vacation time and pay our own way, but we were determined to go.
We would all say later that it was well worth the cost. When we arrived, there were bikes of all makes, models, colors and sizes. And, bike cops all over the place. We had truly died and gone to bike heaven! At that time, the conference was only a long weekend.
We attended as many workshops as we could handle. It was amazing to have been a part of all this! The workshops were all informative, and the on-bike exercises were eye-opening. We learned things about equipment, uniforms, nutrition, bike-handling, suspect contact, obstacles and how to do – and not do – stuff.
Learning from officers from around the country about how they operate and what works for them turned out to be priceless.
The class we had attended in Omaha was great, but this was off the scale. One of the on-bike classes I attended was bike-handling skills. I was very impressed with the lead instructor of this class, Tom Woods, of the Denton (TX) Police Department. He was professional, attentive, and definitely knew what he was doing. I thought to myself, “If this man represents this association, I want to be a part of it.” In later years, I would see Tom at conferences and listen to everything he had to say. He not only was a member of the IPMBA Board of Directors, but he later became its president.
In the fall of 1994, our department hosted an IPMBA Police Cyclist Course, which I attended. In 1996, I attended the Police Cyclist Instructor Development course (now the Instructor Course) in Rochester, New York. Wanting to do more for IPMBA, I ran for and was elected to a position on the Board of Directors at the 1999 conference in Chicago. Being on the board gave me an entirely different perspective. As an instructor during the conference, I showed up and taught. Being on the board, I saw the goings-on behind the scene with preparations and such. It is a real daunting task for our host agencies. One gets to see all the things that can go wrong and how hard everyone works.
We (IPMBA) started simple with the Police Cyclist Course and expanded from there. Realizing that there had to be another level, we developed the Advanced Course. Seeing that there was a need for something in between, we next invented the Intermediate Course. The Intermediate Course morphed into the Police Cyclist II class and then the PESC II after merging with the EMSC II Course, and the Advanced Course had a few name changes – STARS and NOFATS come to mind.
The name changes actually benefitted some members by enabling them to continue coming to the conference. A group from New York Presbyterian Hospital came every year and lamented that they had taken every course available and their supervisor said that they had done it all. I told them that we were changing the name of the Intermediate Course to Police Cyclist II the following year. Well, they ran that through their chain of command with the name change and they were approved. They all showed up at the registration counter the next year with big smiles on their faces. And, when the Advanced class went through a name change, they did the same thing!
If the association was to maintain its position as the premier bike trainer, we had to keep up with changes. Security personnel were now riding bikes and we took them into the fold. And, then along came e-Bikes! Yikes! Now, I have mellowed out in my old age and will go on the record to say that years ago I did indeed make a public statement, “No self-respecting cyclist would put a motor on his bike!”
Times and technology have changed, and so has my opinion. Not that I want to get on an e-Bike, but if that is the wave of the future, so be it. If it will keep public safety personnel on bikes, I’m all for them. Actually, e-Bikes have been around longer than many people think.
Back in the mid 90’s, our bike unit was approached by a company that was making rechargeable bikes and wanted our unit to test one out and give them our input. I remember the bikes were quite heavy and the motor was so bulky that one rode the bike kind of bow-legged. They would get up to 20 mph. But, the faster one went, the shorter the battery charge. They did okay on the street, but one day we took it off road. Not a good thing. The front wheel was bent (taco style) and a slight crack appeared on the frame. We trashed it! The company thanked us for our input, and we never heard from them again. Later, we learned that the bikes were being manufactured and sent overseas to the Asian market.
Serving on the Board of Directors as the Conference Coordinator for several years gave me an all-around perspective of the conferences. My helmet is off to all past and future host departments; they have all done – and will do – a great job. As Conference Coordinator, I took over the duties as registration coordinator. I get to be the first person (other than the bellhop or valet) you see at the conference, and I don’t even expect to be tipped!
I put the welcome bags together, fold your conference tee shirt, and tell you where to go (classroom)! Working the registration in Tucson by myself, I was in my element —taking paperwork, handing out tee shirts and welcome bags, answering questions, and giving directions to classrooms/training venues. A female officer approached the counter as I was hustling and bustling. Trying to do four things at once, I turned to her and tapped my chest and said to her, “What size?” She stood up straight with her shoulders back, and with a smile said, “Thirty-six!” This look immediately came over her face as she turned bright red and said, “Oh, you mean my tee shirt size!” After I gave her a tee shirt and welcome bag, she left, only to return a short time later with a beer. Handing the beer to me, she said, “Here you go, you look like you can use it”. And then there was Eppie, the volunteer in San Antonio (2004) who insisted on fattening me up with homemade tortillas. Such are the hazards of working registration.
I can honestly say that that first conference so many years ago must have stoked the fire as I have attended every conference since then, until COVID-19 caused 2020 to be cancelled.
Branching out from the initial Police Cyclist Course, IPMBA has shown itself to be at the forefront of public safety personnel bicycle training. The best bicycle training on the planet, I like to say. For those of you, who may have not attended one of our conferences, put that on your bucket list. And, for those who continue to attend, remember we are always evolving with our training. And, like that wise Instructor Trainer, Al Simpson, used to say, “When you’re through training, you’re through.” Or was that Ed Brown? Whoever it was, it is true, and we hope to be back in action in 2021.
Mr. Artie retired from the Topeka (KS) Police Department in 2006, after 36 years of service. He assisted with the development of the TPD Bike Unit, which was founded in April 1993, and was assigned to it for the last 13 years of his career. He joined IPMBA in 1993, and attended his first conference in 1994. He was certified as an IPMBA Instructor in 1995 and has since taught at every conference. He served six years on IPMBA’s Board of Directors, primarily as conference coordinator. He has assisted in the development and implementation of bicycle-specific firearms training sessions for both IPMBA and the Topeka Police Department. He can be reached at artieobo@att.net.
(c) 2020 IPMBA. This article appeared in the 2020 Conference Retrospective issue of IPMBA News.