UWPD shares its two-wheeled approach to community policing

A UW–Madison police department program helps other law enforcement agencies adapt the campus bicycle patrol program to community policing efforts.

UW Police Sgt. Kurt Feavel has taught the course since 1995. He has been certified as a trainer for the International Police Mountain Bike Association and the Law Enforcement Bicycle Association.

Feavel and Officer Tony Barnes started the UW Police Bike Unit in 1992 with a pair of mountain bikes on loan from a local bicycle shop.

“We rode in full uniform for the first two weeks, and then got shorts to wear with our regular duty shirts,” recalls Feavel. “We had no training in tactics or how to use the bikes — we just learned as we went along.”

So in 1993, the department brought in an instructor from the Seattle police bike unit to conduct the first law enforcement bike patrol training in Wisconsin.

This past April, law enforcement officers from nine southern Wisconsin departments, including Baraboo, Janesville, Whitewater and the Dane County Sheriff’s Department, came to campus to participate in the now-annual Police Cyclist training offered by the UW Police Department. Two UWPD officers took the course as well.

Only one-fourth of the four-day training is conducted in the classroom. The remainder — more than 20 hours of on-bike time — takes place in the field. Students spend hours in skill development, practicing such maneuvers as hopping curbs, going up and down stairs, emergency braking and dismounting.

They ride in daylight and darkness, experiencing diverse traffic situations and practicing policing techniques and tactics. Scenarios and exercises deal with situations like contacts with suspects, takedowns and pursuits.

In addition, the course covers the concept of community policing and what to expect from the public as a police cyclist.

Participants also learn about basic bike maintenance, legal issues, traffic laws, and the fitness and nutrition needs required for optimum performance as a bike patrol officer.

The UWPD has 14 officers assigned to its bike unit. They serve in a variety of roles, including community policing, crowd control at athletic events and other outdoor venues, and enforcement of rules governing mountain-bike use in campus natural areas.