By Staff Sgt. Michael B. Shimer, PCI
# 475
Center Military Police Company (TX)
print
this story
Riding in pairs through the housing
areas of Ft. Bliss, Texas, military police are silently keeping vigil to
protect our persons and property from any criminal element. But these MPs
differ from their motorized counterparts: they patrol on 21-speed Cannondale
and Trek police mountain bikes.
The advantages of patrolling by bike are many. First, the personal contact
between a bicycle mounted MP and the public is far greater than with those
MPs that patrol in a police sedan.
"We are constantly being approached by the kids and parents in our neighborhoods.
Our guys can talk to as many as 50 people during just one shift," said Sergeant
Gary Moore, the bike patrol section supervisor.
Secondly, the bicycle mounted MP facilitates the true nature of the bike
patrol's mission: Community Oriented Policing.
Community Policing is defined as a policing philosophy that promotes and
supports organizational strategies to address the causes and reduce the fear
of crime and social disorder through problem-solving tactics and community-police
partnerships.
In order to give them the skills and tactics necessary to patrol from a mountain
bike, the Ft. Bliss Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS) certifies
all of their newly assigned patrols through the International Police Mountain
Bike Association (IPMBA).
IPMBA is a nationally recognized organization advocating law enforcement
by mountain bike. Their basic certification is the Police Cyclist Course,
based on the Effective Cycling program created by John Forester and the League
of American Bicyclists. Effective Cycling is based on the principles of Vehicular
Cycling, and teaches cyclists that they fare best when they act and are treated
as drivers of vehicles.
"Center MP Company has the only certified police bike instructor in the region
now," says Captain John Adams, commanding officer of the Ft. Bliss law
enforcement sections, including COPS. The military police have opened up
training opportunities for all of the surrounding local law enforcement,
including the El Paso Police Department, University of Texas El Paso campus
police, and the Holloman AFB, New Mexico, Security Police.
Not only a public relations tool, policing by mountain bike is an effective
tool for law enforcement. The "Stealth Mode" of patrolling quietly in pairs
in the shadows and back alleyways of post can surprise even the most skilled
criminal.
"You can see, hear and smell more from a mountain bike," said Specialist
Carlos Gonzalez, a recently trained member of COPS. "Plus, you can't hear
a 21-speed mountain bike coming down the street like you can hear an 8-cylinder
Ford Crown Victoria."
Policing by mountain bike has become more and more popular around the country
since the late 1980s. Many installations within CONUS and overseas have adopted
community policing and bike patrol programs. IPMBA Police Cyclist Instructors
have recently been invited to train 40 Military Police from the Army and
Air Force in Heidelberg, Germany, according to Officer Kirby Beck of the
Coon Rapids Police Department in Minnesota, and the immediate past President
of IPMBA.
While still in its infancy, bike patrol in the military has yet to receive
the standards and acceptance afforded to other skills such as criminal and
traffic accident investigations and the military working dog program.
"We will do our best to work with the brass and others to push for standardized
training in the military," said Officer Beck.
The IPMBA Police Cyclist Course has become the standard of many law enforcement
agencies around the world and is required training in a number of states,
including Tennessee, Florida, Wyoming, Georgia and Utah. In several other
states it has been accepted as an accredited training program for certification.
The COPS section works hand-in-hand with the Provost Marshal's Office's D.A.R.E.
and Crime Prevention sections. To contact a member of the section, call (915)
568-4851.
This article appeared in The Monitor, the weekly newsletter for
Fort Bliss. It can be found, with additional photos, at
www.lavenpublishing.com/filecabinet/insi42601.html.
 |
