The Power of Inclusion

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by Allan Howard, PCI #001
Dayton (OH) Police Department (ret.)

I’m sitting here at the computer, nearly thirty years after I first wrote about police cycling. I can’t believe it’s been that long. I look forward to each passing year for IPMBA because it keeps gaining momentum. One of the main reasons for that momentum can be summed up in one word: inclusion. The founders of IPMBA sought to include everyone who served citizens as public servants on bikes, not just those who could afford the big bucks a scant few “experts” were charging to teach skills and tactics. Courses were few and far between, and what’s even worse, some of it was pure malarkey; even to the point that if followed, it could get someone killed.

Times, training, and equipment have changed, but one thing has remained constant: the need for organization, training, standards, and discourse among all who do the jobs we do. There can’t be any “secret handshakes” or “need-to-know” hierarchy if we are to use our bikes to save lives, be they those of citizens, co-workers or ourselves. I believe IPMBA does it best because of our inclusion. No matter what your role in public safety cycling is, IPMBA has your best interests at heart and has served your public safety cycling needs longer than anyone else in history. For that, we can all be proud.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if being a public safety cyclist is what you do, ask yourself what you’re doing to help your fellow members and potential members. We all have different skill sets and experiences; is there something you can bring to IPMBA to make us safer or further our cause? If so, get involved with a committee or the board, write an article or review a product, or anything else that continue to move us forward. Everyone has to take a turn at the front if we are to move as fast and efficiently as a paceline of riders.

We just wrapped up another holiday season, which, of course, includes gift-giving. If you are in the position to do so, and feel the desire to offer more than the minimum dues payment, please consider making a tax-deductable donation to IPMBA, a registered 501(c)(3). Your gift could mean the difference between someone getting the best possible training or being injured or killed on the job. Your support helps IPMBA disseminate important information and training to those that need it because of the special circumstances of our work.

In 2019, I had the good fortune to attend several local and regional IPMBA courses and the IPMBA Conference in Fort Worth. I also had the opportunity to visit with bike cops/friends at the US Pro Championships in Knoxville while rubbing elbows with the likes of Jeff Pierce of Team 7-Eleven (one of only two Americans to win the final stage of the TDF) and Greg LeMond, the other one, who bested Laurent Fignon by eight seconds to seize his third TDF victory. Spending time and talking with these guys was surreal; both are very gracious and fan-oriented.

Hanging out with them and watching the racing from the VIP tent was very cool, but the best memories of that trip are of the time spent with fellow public safety cyclists. Push come to shove, they will save the day when it needs saving, just as the five officers and one sergeant did in Dayton when a night on routine patrol turned into a response to a premeditated mass shooting. Three of those officers were IPMBA-trained.

This past year, it seemed like everyone and everything was against Dayton, including the weather, in the form of tornados. But rest assured, when you arrive at Dayton in a few short months, you will have a great experience. I will be there to see old friends, make new ones, celebrate 30 years of IPMBA conferences, and have one of the best times of my life. I can’t wait.

— Allan

Photos courtesy Allan Howard.

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