Welcome!

afirst — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 01:30:16 +0000

Greetings to all!

Welcome to the launching of what I know will quickly become the “go-to place” for communicating and networking with your fellow bike officers and medics!

Before we go much further I think it’s important that we recognize and thank Michael at policebikestore.com for his effort in creating this meeting place for us. It’s long overdue but I’m sure it will be well worth the wait!

First of all, a little about me. My name is Anthony First and I have been a police officer with the Tulsa (OK) Police Department for eight years and a Paramedic for thirteen. Rather than rattle off my unimportant career history I’ll leave it at this. I am a bike patrol fanatic. I’m practically obsessed with it. I fell in love with the idea of police cycling years ago and to this day I never feel as good as a police officer as when I am riding the alleys, breezeways, and sidewalks of Tulsa’s trouble spots. As far as this blogsite is concerned I am not a bike patrol expert. I’m just an officer that loves to talk and hear about it.

Why does any of this matter here? Because I’m not alone. Not just here in Tulsa but all over the country. According to IPMBA there are over 2,200 law enforcement agencies in the United States that utilize bike patrol officers. Those numbers go up even more when you consider the EMS, fire, and security agencies that also use bikes during the course of their work.

So, with such numbers, what do we public service cyclists all have in common? I mean besides the low pay, long hours, etc… I would offer that what we all have in common is the inability to communicate with each other. Face it! We love to talk shop! Cops love the “No joke, there I was!” story. Medics love to gross out the folks sitting next to them at the diner. When it comes to the specialized field of bike patrol though, most of us exist on our own little islands. Separated from other public service cyclists by distance and the lack of a real-time communication medium. We all face the same problems and have many of the same questions but ,at the same time, we all have unique ideas and incredible success stories.

That’s what this blogsite is all about. It’s about building electronic bridges between the islands we work on. For those of us who choose to do our jobs in the “up close and personal” way that only mountain bikes allow, this blogsite provides us the means to ask questions, swap stories, offer ideas, and generally make ourselves and our bike programs better through shared knowledge.

So I invite you to join this blogsite by posting your questions, ideas, and stories. I challenge you to cross a bridge or two! The more posts we get the more we all benefit!

On behalf of policebikestore.com I welcome you. Thank you for all that you do and your willingness to share with your fellow officers.

-Tony

IPMBA’s Mission

IPMBA — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 21:29:59 +0000

IPMBA promotes the use of bikes for public safety, provides resources and networking opportunities, and offers the best, most complete training for public safety cycling.

Another Biking Tip

RobertH — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 18:25:54 +0000

Why Does A Department need a Police Bicycle Division?
A bicycle allows a police officer or security agent to be closer to the people, and to travel where cars can not reach. This can be great for downtown areas and public events, where a bicycle allows an officer to see more of their surroundings and what is occurring.

About Bike Enforcement

RobertH — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 18:00:18 +0000

Although our main focus is Law Enforcement, we also provide branded mountain bikes to other security and safety oriented organizations. These include Security Departments, such as at Malls and Schools, EMS, Park Services, the DNR, Military Police and Security. Mountain bikes can also be branded as Sheriff, State Police and other Law Enforcement branches that are in need of bicycles for a department.

Welcome to the PoliceBikesStore Community HUB

admin — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 14:39:25 +0000

Please feel free to add your comments, ask questions and bring up new topics in this community forum.

Biking Hub : Blog

Welcome!

IPMBA’s Mission

Another Biking Tip

About Bike Enforcement

Welcome to the PoliceBikesStore Community HUB