They are the modern-day mounted police.
The Ottawa Police Service has rolled out its bicycle patrol for another season. Pedalling police will be a common sight around the city throughout the summer. More common than you might think.
“We have approximately 100 to 110 officers from west to central and east,” says Const. Chuck Benoit, a bicycle patrol instructor.
Why so many? Well, it turns out there are some very good reasons for putting cops on bikes.
The first is mobility. Officers on bicycles can patrol paths, trails, parks and a number of other places off-limits to police cruisers. “We get to places where the cars won’t be,” says Benoit.
Officers are even trained to ride down stairs and other obstacles they might encounter when pursuing a suspect or reaching someone in need.
Just how effective can cops on bikes be? Constable Craig Barlow recounts the time he and his partner used their bikes to actually chase down and stop a fleeing vehicle. “My partner and I, he went one way following and I cut through a path through a couple houses and able to cut him off at the pass, so to speak, and able to effectively stop the vehicle and give him a ticket for being on his cell phone,” recalls Barlow.
Bicycles can also be used for crowd control. Just like horses, bikes can become a moveable barrier that can help protect an individual officer or, using several bikes in a line, can re-direct larger crowds.
There are, however, some challenges to doing police work on a bicycle. How, for example, does one let go of the handlebars to draw one’s gun? Each spring officers undergo special training to deal with such issues.
The other benefits to bicycle patrols include having officers more accessible to the public. And it’s a great way to promote bicycle safety.
The officers don’t seem to mind all that fresh air and exercise either. Says Barlow, “It’s the best job you can have in the Ottawa Police Service.”
