VCU Police expands use of e-bike patrols

By Brian McNeill

VCU Police has recently expanded its fleet of e-bikes, allowing officers to more effectively patrol Virginia Commonwealth University campuses and better engage with students, faculty, staff and members of the Richmond community.

"The e-bikes allow the officers to have more connection with the public, they reduce officer fatigue because of the pedal assist, and they [enable officers to] maneuver around campus more easily than in a car," said VCU Police Lt. Edgar Greer, Ed.D. "They also allow us to get to areas faster that you wouldn't necessarily be able to travel to by car throughout campus."

Roughly a year ago, VCU Police acquired two e-bikes and began testing them on patrols. They proved successful, so the department acquired seven more heading into the fall semester. The e-bikes are part of VCU Police's Division of Patrol Operations, which is staffed by more than 60 sworn officers and 12 supervisors who patrol the Monroe Park and MCV campuses in marked and unmarked cars, on bicycles and by foot.

"The e-bikes have been a great addition to our safety/security portfolio. Our community reports feeling safer when seeing officers on bike or on foot - more so than any other methods of deployment," said John Venuti, VCU's associate vice president for public safety and chief of police.

The e-bikes are being used on both campuses, and Greer said they have proven particularly helpful in police patrols of parking decks and lots. In VCU's annual perception of safety survey of more than 1,000 students, faculty and staff, respondents have said they would like to see more patrols of parking decks.

"Being able to have those e-bikes allows [officers] to ride through the decks in a more smooth, less fatigued way," Greer said. "It's part of the reason why we have these e-bikes."

VCU Police currently has 25 officers who have completed both a 40-hour, International Police Mountain Bike Association basic training in addition to specific e-bike familiarization training. More officers are slated to complete the e-bike training soon.

The VCU community reports feeling safer when seeing VCU Police officers on foot or on bicycle. (Kevin Morley, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Research has shown that police on bicycles have more engagement with the community, with an average 7.3 contacts with the public via bicycle patrol versus 3.3 contacts in motor vehicles. With e-bikes in an urban area like VCU's campuses, Greer said, that engagement is almost certainly to be even higher. "The e-bikes give us the ability to engage with more people and create a bond with the community that we serve."

E-bikes can also be an effective tool for crime prevention and community safety, said VCU Police officer Luke Shrader, a crime prevention specialist and IPMBA instructor.

"They allow the officer to be more aware of what's happening around them and make it easier for members of the public to flag [an officer] down if they're in distress or if they need help or even if they just want to have a chat," he said.

Plus, the e-bikes promote the university's environmental sustainability mission, as they don't burn fossil fuels, said Detective Frederic Wiggins, one of VCU Police's other IPMBA instructors. "They just burn calories."

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