Bike cops keep control over
"cruisers"
By Christopher Jahnke, Royal Oak PD
(MI)
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Eight years ago in Royal Oak, Michigan,
a few Woodward Avenue business owners convened over a burger and started
reminiscing about "the old days," when they cruised Woodward Avenue in the
50's. They devised a plan to organize a "Cruise," to be held on the third
Saturday of August. There was little fanfare that first year, and no special
events; just people cruisin' up and down Woodward in their old muscle cars,
primarily in Royal Oak between 11 Mile and 14 Mile Roads.
In the first year, Royal Oak Police devised a plan to thwart the burnouts
(from cars) and problems that arose from the cruise and its 1000 or so fans.
Split into groups to patrol Woodward, ROPD responded to problems but had
no real action plan. They were like a pack of wild dogs running from area
to area, dealing with a number of unanticipated issues.
In subsequent years, the cruise grew exponentially, gaining corporate sponsors
such as Eaton, GM, Ford, DC, Toyota, Honda, and Visteon. In 2001, the Woodward
Dream Cruise was billed as the largest one-day car show in the world, as
well as the world's largest cruise, featuring 30,000 muscle cars, street
rods, custom, collector and special interest vehicles. The cruise route stretches
16 miles from Detroit to Pontiac and attracts an estimated 1.5 million
spectators. Close to one million of those spectators line Woodward Avenue
between 11 Mile and 13 ½ Mile Roads. Though billed as a one-day event,
it has expanded to three days, starting on Thursday and ending on Saturday
evening. All ROPD personnel work 12-16 hour shifts on both Friday and Saturday.
Enforcing problems associated with the cruise unofficially starts the weekend
before the event, picking up speed until the final shut down of Woodward
Avenue on Saturday night at 9pm.
Since that first year, we have become more and more organized, starting to
plan for the next year as soon as the current event ends. We are now utilizing
"post" assignments every ¼ to ½ mile, along the median, with
specialized groups providing support. For the past two years, one of these
groups has a mountain bike patrol. In 2000, support was provided by Oakland
County Sheriff's Department and Grosse Pointe Police Department, as well
as a couple of Canadian officers.
The 2001 plan included a new addition - our own police on bikes. The Royal
Oak Police Department developed and implemented a mountain bike patrol both
for regular shifts and for the Woodward Dream Cruise. Chief Theodore Quisenberry
spearheaded and supported this unit from the start, providing both high quality
equipment (Trek police bikes) and top-notch training (IPMBA's own Kathleen
Vonk and Lou Ann Hamblin.) The Bike Unit began with five members, currently
has seven members and plans to expand to 15-20 members.
In its first year, the ROPD Mountain Bike Unit utilized the services of
surrounding communities who were not directly involved in the Cruise.
Established, successful bike units from communities such as Madison Heights,
Southfield and Troy were gearing down on the crank, ready to assist at the
asking. When we did ask, they stepped up with a resounding "yes," donating
12 officers to complement our then five along with 12 or so from Oakland
County Sheriff's Department.
It did not take long to realize the advantages to using the Bike Unit during
the cruise. The benefits ranged from positive PR to timely response by
supervisors on bikes. And, of course, a quicker response time to crimes in
progress.
Our goal was simple: "Provide a safe, family-oriented environment for everyone
to enjoy." Our action plan was twofold: 1) build a rapport with the spectators,
and 2) enforce laws, particularly those regarding alcohol and driving offenses.
(Each year we have a different primary enforcement focus. In 2000, we heavily
enforced driving offenses such as sudden acceleration, reckless and careless
driving. This active enforcement significantly reduced the number of violators
in 2001. In 2001, we also targeted alcohol consumption among the spectators.)
It does not take a rocket scientist to recognize the ability of officers
on bikes to build rapport with crowds, imperative in this situation because
the people we have contact with at 8am are going to be the same people, in
the same spot, at 9pm when it is time to close down Woodward Avenue. If we
create a hostile atmosphere from the commencement, it will be a very long
weekend for all the officers, and the goal of providing a safe, family-oriented
environment will not be achieved. We want the the spectators on our side,
and bikes are a great way to "break the ice." The ability to utilize bikes
as a PR tool cannot be overlooked. You can win over a crowd in a short period
of time, then implement your strategy governing expectations of conduct.
Because you see and have contact with these same people throughout the day,
building that rapport, the spectators become your eyes and ears. They eagerly
point out violators and suspicious people, and if someone starts to give
you a hassle, they readily become your supporters.
One of the other advantages the bikes have in terms of helping us achieve
our goal is their mobility. Because Royal Oak is the hub of activity, cars
are four lanes deep in each direction; traffic is stop-and-go from 11 Mile
to 14 Mile Road; and getting around is difficult. In these conditions, mountain
bikes offer a huge advantage over other modes of transportation. Bikes can
maneuver in, out and around traffic with ease and speed.
The importance of being able to respond quickly and with numbers was never
more evident than during an incident that occurred in 2001. Our post (five
bike officers and eight officers on foot) was dispatched to a large fight
in an area about 300 yards away. The contingent of bike officers was there
in seconds and found a group of men having a heated argument. We were able
to separate them and send them on their way before the foot officers arrived.
Our quick response resulted in a peaceful solution to a volatile confrontation.
The additional time that it would have taken us to walk (or run) to that
location may have been just enough time for the situation to escalate into
a violent episode.
The bikes also offer a tremendous stealth advantage. In 2001, we issued many
violations for Open Intoxicants in a Motor Vehicle because we were able to
roll between the cars; in addition, we issued a number of Possession of Marijuana
and other miscellaneous violations. Because bikes are frequently overlooked
as modes of transportation for police, we were able to ride up on groups
who were throwing bleach or some other liquid on the roadway (for the purpose
of encouraging burnouts) without being noticed. I did that on three occasions
last year, and each time they did not know I was the police until I was in
front of them.
Using bikes during the event has affected supervision as well. We relegate
a group of mountain bike officers to each ROPD Mountain Bike Sergeant for
assignments and supervision. Each supervisor is also responsible for a squad
assigned to a particular post. Though this is potentially taxing to the
supervisor, we have found that the officers who come to support us during
the event are usually well-rested and ready to put their department in a
favorable light, and, therefore, little supervision is needed.
The mobility advantage of the bike works for supervisors, too. Supervising
on a bike in this environment is much more effective than being on foot or
in a car. A car is ineffectual unless there is a great distance to travel
and the location away from the hub of activity. Being on foot is more effective
than being in a car, but still difficult and time-consuming, especially if
the destination is a ¼ mile walk away. A bike enables the supervisor
to traverse a congested area in a short time if needed by his or her officers.
Bike-mounted supervisors are responsible for a large squad of foot patrol
officers who are split into groups and assigned to specific areas of patrol.
Supervising such a squad by bike is less cumbersome and increases our ability
to effectively manage this contingent.
Because the bike unit has been so successful, plans are to continue it for
2002. Even more departments than in previous years will be assisting, including
Van Buren Township and Ann Arbor. The total number of additional mountain
bike officers will exceed 30. Each officer, some operating under the auspices
of a long-standing mutual aid pact, will be empowered with legal jurisdiction
in the enforcement of civil infractions, city ordinances and state crimes.
Not only will they have the same authority as ROPD officers, they will also
bring to the table their training, presence and instinct to assist. Which
is a good thing, because even with our full contingent of officers, both
from our own agency and those assisting us, we are still outnumbered 3500
to one!
Woodward Dream Cruise 2001 was an especially memorable one for me because
it was my first year on a bike. It made for a gratifying and exhilarating
cruise. I was able to put both my best PR foot and my best enforcement foot
forward, and so were many others.
Of the incidents that I remember most vividly is one involving a fireman,
from an unnamed department, who was on a bike. He was riding in the median
with all of his medical gear when he put a little…no, a lot of pressure
on his front brakes…and look-out! An end-over. After I rode up to check
if he was alright, I couldn't help but laugh. When I asked if he learned
that in training…he replied, "What training? We didn't get any training."
Hmmmm....imagine that.
Christopher can be reached at
ChristopherJ@ci.royal-oak.mi.us.
(C) 2002 IPMBA. This article first appeared in the Fall 2002 issue of IPMBA
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