Electric Bikes Glendale P.D.’s Current Rage

GLENDALE — He may look like an ordinary bicycle cop as he peddles down the streets of Glendale, but with a flick of a switch Officer Arnelle de Guzman is magically transformed into a bionic cop thanks to his new electric bicycle.

Equipped with a powerful electric motor, the bike is one of five recently purchased by the Glendale Police Department to give its officers a burst of super-human speed when they need it most. By turning on the juice, De Guzman and his colleagues are able to breeze to crime scenes or chase traffic violators at speeds of up to 20 mph.

The electric bikes, which come complete with sirens and flashing lights, enable bicycle cops like De Guzman to arrive at a scene without sapping their energy, leaving them prepared to handle the task at hand.

The department took delivery of the bikes earlier this month.

“The bikes are working great,” De Guzman said. “We not only get to locations faster, but we’re also not as winded. We have more energy and we’re more engaged.”

De Guzman explained that before his department purchased the electric bikes it would often take him several minutes to catch his breath when he arrived at a location. Now, he added, pedaling up hills or chasing traffic violators no longer leaves him too winded to take action immediately.

One hitch, however, De Guzman said is that sometimes it takes residents a minute to figure out that they are being pulled over by a cop on an electric bicycle.

“They don’t know where the siren is coming from,” De Guzman said. “They give us a second look and then realize we are police.”

De Guzman said a typical conversation he has with motorists who have been pulled over goes something like, “ ‘You guys are police?’ and we say ‘Yes, we are the police.’ ”

Patrolling the city by bike allows the officers to foster a better relationship with residents and business people in the community. “The public tends to approach us a lot more when we’re on bikes than they would an officer in a black and white patrol car,” De Guzman said.

The electric bikes also allow officers to creep up on suspects at night or move quickly in a sting operation and arrest an unknowing suspect, De Guzman said.

The Glendale Police Department has also used the electric bike patrols to target specific crime problems in the city, such as residential burglaries.

So far, officers have been using the electric bikes to patrol the southern section of Glendale, where there is gang activity and numerous hotels.

An estimated 100 officers have received training to ride the bikes and De Guzman said he expects his department will get more of the bikes in the future.

The bikes are manufactured by ZAP Power System in Sebastopol, Calif., which has sold over 5,000 electric bikes in less than three years. Currently, the bikes, which cost about $899, are being used by 20 police departments.

The bicycle’s 12-pound battery is recharged by a generator as it coasts downhill and can power a rider from five to 15 miles depending on the type of terrain and the amount of energy being expended by the pedaling police officer.

The batteries can be replaced in seconds or recharged from an electrical outlet at the police station in two to three hours.