Police Bicycle Unit

The Concord Police Department Bike Unit is dedicated to pro-active community driven Policing.

Started in 1996 the Bicycle Patrol Unit has grown from five officers to fourteen in 2020.  Each officer is required to pass a rigorous training program, put on by the Department’s two instructors certified through the International Police Mountain Bike Association. 

The officers are dedicated to meeting the community’s expectations.  These expectations include Community Policing projects like the Concord Police Bike Rodeo and targeted law enforcement objectives. 

The Unit has a special opportunity to focus on pro-active policing and engage with the citizenry on a more personal level.  The face to face contact with the public allows the bike unit to be more involved with the community and allows opportunity to teach bike safety.

Police Mountain Bike Unit Group Photo

Bike Unit Officers are devoted to both law enforcement and community policing.  Each officer strives to work with the community to solve neighborhood issues through crime prevention and education. The Bike Unit has also been used for events like races, parades, and civic demonstrations.   The Unit has had the honor of partnering with Domino’s Pizza, Constantly Pizza, Sal’s Pizza, and the Brain Injury Association to present pizza certificates to youth bicycle operators who are safely riding their bicycles and wearing their helmets.  Each officer enjoys each interaction with the youth of Concord.

Listed below are some of the statistics for the Bike Unit in 2019.  

2019 BIKE PATROL UNIT STATISTICS

  • 220 hours of riding time logged.
  • 72 calls for service handled..
  • 25 criminal arrests.
  • 11 incidents investigated
  • 54 motor vehicle and bicycle stops
  • 68 park & talks completed.
  • 20 gift certificates in addition to the pizza certificates that are awarded
Police Mountain Bike Unit Training

OBJECTIVES

The Bike Unit focuses on the following objectives:

  • Motor vehicle traffic enforcement
  • Foster positive interaction with the community by making personal contact with individuals, businesses and homeowners
  • Foster positive interaction with youths and schools
  • Increase awareness in bicycle safety, education and training
  • Address safety concerns for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists
  • Address quality of life issues or hazards
  • Deter criminal activity where motorized or foot patrols are not practical

The City of Concord has been granted the bronze star for being a bicycle friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists. Having law enforcement involved in the community’s bicycling programs along with enforcement efforts is one of the five judgment criteria in being considered for this award. The Department looks forward to continuing this tradition.