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Home > Special Units > Bicycle Unit > Advantages
Some Advantages to Policing by Mountain Bike
- Stealth
- Quiet
- Unexpected, surprise and shock
- Able to approach suspects virtually unnoticed, even in full uniform
- Observation
- Bike officers are better able to use all of their senses to detect and address crime
- See, hear, and smell things that a cruiser officer doesn’t
- Productivity
- Officers are extremely efficient on a bike
- Observation and stealth are aspects that lead to the increase in productivity
- Health and Morale
- Policing by mountain bike is fun, leading to jumps in morale
- There is an obvious impact on officer health when the transition from cruiser seat to bike saddle is made
- Cost Effective
- Decreases in operating cost, fuel and cruiser wear
- Decreases in liability
- Community Oriented
- Citizens are more likely to approach officers
- Useful in problem oriented policing efforts
- Increased Visibility
- Bike officers are seen in areas where a cruiser can’t or doesn’t go
- Increased visibility creates an increase in crime deterrence
- Mobility
- Cruiser officers are restricted to the roadways
- Bikes are operated in areas that are difficult or impossible to police in a car
- Extremely effective in crowded areas
How Officers Use The Police Mountain Bike
- Special Events
- Tourist Areas
- Amusement Parks
- Sports Arenas
- College Campuses
- Airports, Train or Bus Stations
- Indispensable in Urban and Wilderness Search and Rescue
- Busy Urban Areas Where Traffic Snarls and Crowds Delay Motorized Units
- Special Details
- Surveillance
- Problem Areas
- Fairs
- Parades
- Beaches
- Parks
- Malls
- Downtown Areas
- Neighborhoods
- Uses are limited only by the officer's imagination
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