Marblehead police now pedal and zoom on eBikes
KEN YUSZKUS/Staff photo/Marblehead firefighter Brent Tarasuik tries out one of the donated electric bikes on Pleasant Street. Four bikes were presented to the town: two to the fire department, and two bikes to police headquarters.
By Noelle Graves, The Salem News, May 4, 2015 10:10 pm
MARBLEHEAD — Bicycle patrols allow police and firefighters to reach people in need where patrol cars and fire trucks can’t fit easily, such as rail trails, parks and crowded downtown holiday celebrations.
The down side: bikes have to be pedaled, sometimes long distances, up steep hills and over rocky terrain.
“When my officers need to bike several miles to a call, they can arrive exhausted,” Marblehead Police Chief Robert Picariello said. “They need to arrive fresh and ready for the call.”
Now they have a new way to do that.
EVantage USA, a Salem-based maker of electric bicycles, has donated four electric bikes — two to the police department and two to the fire department — to help bike patrol emergency responders arrive more quickly and with more energy.
Popular in Europe, India and China, electric bikes are a relatively new trend in the United States, but they are catching on with aging baby boomers, outdoor enthusiasts, commuters and public safety officers. Riders can pedal the bikes normally or can engage a motor and accelerate up steep hills using a handlebar throttle or pedal pressure.
Most electric bikes range in price from $700 to $10,000. They can travel 20 to 50 miles on a single charge and can reach speeds of 20 mph. And they are nearly silent — perfect from a policing perspective.
“The bikes are a good deterrent,” said Marblehead police Capt. Matthew Freeman, who coordinated the bike donation with EVantage. “It’s helpful to be able to ride up onto a scene quietly.”
There’s something about the unassuming look of a police officer on bike patrol — polo shirt, shorts, bike helmet — that leaves criminals unaware that police are near until the handcuffs are on.
“It cuts down on the time we chase after people,” Freeman said. “We’re able to see the criminal behavior, which makes us better witnesses in court.”
The public also appreciates a police presence in the secluded, recreational areas of town, Freeman said.
“It makes them more comfortable to know the police are there, making sweeps, able to address criminal behavior or help with a medical aid,” he said.
Electric bikes have popped up in police departments around the country, including California and Maine, but Marblehead is the first local department to use them.
Last year EVantage asked Marblehead police to road-test a few electric bikes and provide feedback. The officers rode the bikes on a range of terrain including the rail trail, Fort Sewall, Crocker and Chandler Hovey parks, and in crowded streets during the town’s Fourth of July and Festival of Arts celebrations.
“My guys like them because they’re an ideal hybrid of power and pedaling,” Picariello said. “They have definite pluses for us. We’re very pleased and thankful to the company for thinking of us.”
On Monday EVantage gave the town four of its newest model bikes, worth a total of about $10,000, in a brief presentation.
Started in 2009, EVantage was co-founded by Adam Rand, who grew up in Marblehead and still lives there. The company recently relocated to Salem after outgrowing its facility in Marblehead.
“Having the company comprised of many lifelong Marblehead residents, we wanted to make sure that our community and their public safety sectors had the best and newest-available, rapid-response, green-technology for our town,” Rand said.
EVantage is the sole developer, engineer and manufacturer of Polaris eBikes. The bike’s rechargeable battery regenerates when the rider pedals forward or backward. The bikes can also be plugged into a standard wall outlet.
EVantage employs 12 people and has offices in Fort Lauderdale, Seattle and Germany. The company’s manufacturing is done in China, with distributors around the world.