Sidewalks: Cruising into the Danger Zone

by Kirby Beck, PCI #002T/EMSCI #017T Coon Rapids (MN) Police Department (retired) IPMBA courses have long taught that sidewalks – or pavements for the Brits – are dangerous places to ride a bike; usually more dangerous than the street...

Bike Medics in Action at the DNC

by Captain Kyle Roodberg, EMSCI #196 Denver (CO) Health Paramedic When Denver was chosen as the site for the 2008 Democratic National Convention (DNC), we knew it would have a profound impact on our daily operations.  The Denver Health Paramedic Division...

Doing it Right in Denver: The DNC and the Colorado State Patrol

by Valerie Silva Colorado State Patrol Executive Security Unit The Democratic National Convention (DNC) was held August 25 through August 28, 2008, in beautiful downtown Denver, Colorado.  The two main venues were the Pepsi Center and INVESCO Field.  Seven out of...

Bicycle Response Teams Triumph at 2008 RNC

by Tony Holte, PCI #1035 St. Paul (MN) Police Department During the four days of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in St. Paul and Minneapolis MN, we used our bikes for more than just getting from “Point A to Point...

Outfitted for Duty:  Bicycle and Personal Protective Equipment

IPMBA mandates four pieces of safety equipment and strongly recommends two others, all of which must be used by students during IPMBA training courses and should be used while on-duty. Each rider should have a high-quality mountain bike, in good...

Tired of Pricey Gas, Police Pump Up Bike Patrols

by Dan Nephin Associated Press, 26 May 2008 PITTSBURGH (AP) — Since even the long arm of the law can’t rein in fuel prices, the long legs of the law are getting more exercise these days. Bicycle patrols —...

Bike Patrol and Budget Cuts

By Jay Neal, PCI #680 Nags Head Police Department (NC) With gas prices soaring and budget cuts everywhere, we in law enforcement are being forced to do things differently. One of the problems with small departments is that we tend to...

2008 Conference Vendors and Supporters

IPMBA thanks the vendors and other supporters without whom the IPMBA conference would be missing an important component.  Please show your gratitude to these companies for their support of public safety cycling by thinking of them first for your...

The View from the Other Side

By Al Simpson, PCI #165T/EMSCI #005T Southeast Training Associates My first conference was many years ago. I haven’t missed one since. I first started teaching at the conference in 2000, and have taught both pre-conference courses and conference...

EMS Cyclists in Indy

When people think of Indianapolis, images of automobiles racing around a track at speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour come to mind.  On Saturday, April 26, however, fast cars were replaced by...bicycles.  Race cars cleared the track...