Denver is joining the ranks of several other cities around the US by adding a fleet of electric bikes to its police department’s patrol vehicles.
According to local Fox 31 KDVR, Denver will be adding 27 new electric bikes to its police force, spread across six police districts.
The new e-bike initiative, which was led by the Denver City Council, Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez, members of the Denver Police Department, and the Office of Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency, will help provide officers with a more mobile platform that can access areas that patrol cars can’t reach while allowing officers to respond more quickly.
It’s yet another example of Denver making electric bikes a priority in the city, after recently announcing an additional $1.3M in funding for its groundbreaking e-bike rebate program designed to make e-bikes more affordable for residents hoping to replace car commutes with more efficient alternative transportation. That rebate program has proven so popular among residents that when each new tranche of rebates opens, they’re often scooped up in less than a minute.
Denver police’s adoption of electric bikes is just one example of the quickly growing trend. The Los Angeles Police Department has used electric bikes (seen above) in its diverse fleet of vehicles for several years.
Many police departments have touted the advantages of electric bikes, which can more easily access areas such as public parks, crowded city centers, and other locations that are limiting to traditional patrol vehicles.
Compared to classic pedal bikes, e-bikes allow police officers to arrive at a call quicker and less winded upon arrival.
They’re even being used for traffic patrols, where electric bike-mounted police officers have been seen pulling over cars for traffic citations just like officers in patrol cars.
E-bikes have also been proven to significantly reduce costs for police departments. In addition to the obvious savings in fuel compared to patrol cars with internal combustion engines, e-bikes have also greatly reduced maintenance costs associated with police car fleets.
Who knows, the next time you run that stop sign or creep too far over the speed limit, the blue and red lights in your mirror might just be mounted on handlebars.
Top image: Dall-E AI generated; second image: provided courtesy LAPD