Police in Towson patrolling on new electric bikes donated by local restaurants
by Shelley Orman, Fox 45 News, May 11, 2022
Watch the video: https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/police-in-towson-patrolling-on-new-electric-bikes-donated-by-local-restaurants
After two carjackings and at least two shootings this year in downtown Towson, Baltimore County police are more mobile now.
The department has several new electric bikes they’re using for patrols. Police say the bikes not only help them respond to emergencies quicker but also let them get to know the communities they serve better.
“We have three bikes at the Towson precinct,” says Captain D. Chemelli, Towson precinct commander.
Officers on bike patrol can zip through town up to 35 miles per hour.
“We have a lot of parking garages. We have one-way streets. We have a lot of construction zones,” Cpt. Chemelli says.
“This will help them go through back alleys, go through the garages -- up and down garages -- wherever they need to go, but they can get there quickly if need be,” says Nancy Hafford, executive director of the Towson Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s a lot more feasible than a patrol car,” adds Cpt. Chemelli.
Electric bikes are also being used by the Franklin and Dundalk precincts.
“They’re about $1600 apiece,” Hafford says. The Chamber put out the word that police wanted to get the bikes.
Towson’s three were just donated by three local restaurants.
“Each one of the restaurants said they would buy a bike,” says Hafford. “It’s just so nice to be in a community that supports each other when they have needs."
Tony Scotto owns THB, Towson Hot Bagels.
“We wanted to help,” he says.
They bought a bike.
“For us, police support the community. The community supports us. We support the community and the police,” he says.
The owners of Barley’s Backyard off York Road bought another bike. So did the couple who owns Bread and Circuses Bistro just around the corner at Delaware and Chesapeake Avenues.
“To know that they appreciate us and they want to see us out there and they are giving us the tools, it is a really good feeling,” says Cpt. Chemelli.
Officers have noticed they’re stopping and chatting more when on patrol with the bikes.
“When you are on a bike, people are more apt to talk to you. It’s much easier for us to stop and talk to our business owners and our citizens, our patrons,” says Cpt. Chemelli.
And it’s a two-way street for business owners.
“Just when you see (them on patrol), a sense of feeling safe comes to me,” Scotto says.
To use the bikes, officers must be certified and the training is pretty intense.
Cpt. Chemelli says they have to go through a 40-hour class and go on long rides -- some as long as 25 miles.
They also have to learn how to go over obstacles, down steps and be sure that they can dismount very quickly.