Question a COP: Bike Patrols
By Ingrid Hornibrook, Duluth Police Department on May 11, 2019 at 6:15 p.m.
Duluth police officer Mike Jambor takes a selfie as officer Ethan Roe talks with children during a bike patrol. Courtesy of Duluth Police Department.
This week we interviewed community police officer and subject matter expert Mike Jambor about bike patrol. As our only police officer without a car, you have likely seen him walking the beat downtown. But during the summer, he and other officers hop on bikes to keep our streets safe. Learn more below.
How do we select officers to do bike patrol?
— School resource officers are assigned for the summer months. Interested patrol officers and investigators submit training requests, attend a training course and then are able to work the available bike patrol shifts throughout the summer.
What sort of training does an officer have to do in order to be on bike patrol?
— All officers have to attend a police bicyclist course. Currently the course is offered in the spring of every year and the training is done by Duluth officers.
What sort of calls do the officers respond to when on bike patrol?
— When working bike patrol, the officers respond to the same calls that they would if they were driving a squad car. They are able to handle theft calls, assaults, motor vehicle crashes and even do traffic stops from the bikes.
Why do we do bike patrol?
— There are a couple main reasons we use bikes. One, being on a bike makes us much more approachable than if we were driving around in a car with the windows rolled up going from call to call. We have more interaction with citizens and tourists by simply being on bikes. A big part of the bike program is community engagement and building relationships with businesses, tourists and residents in the areas we patrol.
— Bikes also afford us a tactical advantage. Many times the "bad guys" are looking for us to be in a black and white police car. They are not looking for us to be riding around on bikes or on foot. We are able to sneak up on people doing less than desirable behaviors and address them. We can also maneuver through large crowds and through areas that cars can't go.
What sort of bikes do we use?
— We currently use Cannondale Trail5 bikes that are set up with some basic equipment as well and a bag to carry all of our "COP stuff."
What areas do we cover via bike?
— The primary area of focus for the Bike Unit is the Downtown and Canal Park areas, but when there is a need in other neighborhoods they are reassigned to help out with what is needed. In addition to working patrol shifts the Bike Patrol also works large special events such as Grandma's Marathon, Concerts and the Festival of Sails, or tall ships. During the large events you will likely see us working with other bike patrol units from The Duluth Fire Department, University of Minnesota Duluth Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol.
"Question a COP" is a weekly column provided to the News Tribune by the Duluth Police Department and written by Ingrid Hornibrook, public information officer for the DPD. Have a question you'd like to ask? Send it to dpd_pio@duluthmn.gov.