Complete Guide to Police Cycling (1999, Paperback)

For any one who is considering Mountain Bike riding seriously on the street, this will prove to be an invaluable tool. The coverage of cyclists fatigue and water intake management is second to none. Additionally the sections on hazard avoidance, curb hopping techniques, proper winter and summer clothing for riding, learning how to “Read Traffic” effectively along with proper lane positioning and Mountain Bike set up and maintenance will be handy tools for the non-first responder cyclist.

About the hardest thing to do for completing Bicycle Officer qualification through your local PD, Sheriff’s Office or State or Federal agency is firearms qualification. Here they explain the how and why most do not pass the range qualification while wearing padded cycling gloves. Basically it comes down to practice and familiarity with your duty weapon(s) “Baton Too” (Straight, PR-24 & Expandable ASP, S&W and so on) while wearing heavily padded cycling gloves.

There is in depth coverage of the entire qualification phase with each evolution explained in simple yet concise detail so that the student can understand why these methods are implemented and measured for qualification. Running a Peace Officers Standards and Training obstacle course once a year for requalification is one thing. However riding a mountain bike for 6 hours, then having to do a quick 1.5 mile sprint for subject contact and then using your weapon will bring you to the Olympic level of fitness.

Overall I would rate anything the I.P.M.B.A. puts out as high in the category of volumes that the Peace Officer and First Responder keeps in their arsenal of frequently referenced books. There are many sections that cover basic law enforcement tactics including stealth approach and apprehension, bike set up, COP (Community Oriented Policing) and POP (Problem Oriented Policing). In regard to P.O.P. and C.O.P. the guide effectively explains how the bicycle officer bridges the gap between the two, in offering the general public greater access in the sharing of information in regard to crime and concerns. The end result will be increasing the chances for proactive neighborhood crime suppression and more positive arrests.

I would buy it twice, as the information could save your life!

“Stay Safe!”