ITHACA, NY — Officers from a half-dozen law enforcement agencies in New York State will learn how to incorporate bicycles into their operations at the 2016 Law Enforcement Bike School, scheduled for June 7–11 at Ithaca College.
This will be the 23rd year for the school, which began in 1993 when instructors from Ithaca College, Cornell University and the Ithaca Police Department teamed up to develop what was at that time a pioneering course in police bike patrolling. Today, the course curriculum remains the model utilized by numerous agencies throughout the region.
Sponsored by the Ithaca College Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management, the five-day course is designed as entry-level training for law enforcement officers who utilize specialized mountain bikes for patrol activities.
Law enforcement agencies represented by students at the school will include the New York State Police; Cornell University Police; Utica, Owego and Penn Yan Police Departments; and Schuyler County Sheriff's Office.
The curriculum includes classroom instruction on such topics as vehicle and traffic law, bicycle maintenance, nutrition and fitness. Participants will also take to the streets, off-road trails and campus parking lots to learn practical skills involving riding evolutions, mock scenarios, obstacle negotiation, dismounts, takedowns, suspect contact and tactical response with firearms.
The instructors hold certifications from agencies including the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, International Police Mountain Bike Association and Law Enforcement Bicycle Association.