E-bikes mark return of Mountlake Terrace bike unit

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Tires rumbled over dirt, rocks and twigs as Mountlake Terrace police officers Kyle O’Hagan and JJ Voeller pedaled through trails at Veterans Memorial Park.

The steep slopes of the ravine were tamed into level ground thanks to electric-assisted mountain bikes. If the officers were responding to an emergency, they’d have plenty of energy left.

The city recently bought the bikes from the Snohomish Bicycle Centres shop for $6,650 each. Money for the bikes came from Mountlake Terrace’s general fund, which covers most city services.

The new bikes effectively revived the police department’s bike unit after almost a decade of dormancy.

Other law enforcement agencies have electric cars, including the Mukilteo Police Department and Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.

Now, a pair of Mountlake Terrace police officers can ditch their sport utility vehicles for a little nimble pedal power in the form of Trek electric-assisted bicycles.

“It’s the modern way of walking your police beat,” said O’Hagan, who has worked in the department for over 6 years.

Police departments in Green Bay, Wis., and Los Angeles bought electric pedal-assist bikes in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

People can expect to see the police e-bikes at the July 3 gathering and fireworks show as well as the Tour de Terrace.

The bicycle unit’s primary responsibility is community outreach, Cmdr. Mike Haynes wrote in an email.

“Bikes are unique in the sense they afford officers the ability to interact with the community on a level not typically available from a patrol car,” Haynes wrote.

O’Hagan and Voeller, a 4-year veteran with the department who previously worked on the bike patrol unit for the University of Washington Police Department, agreed that being on bikes makes them more approachable.

Using the bikes, which can reach 18 mph with electric assist, helps Mountlake Terrace officers cover area that otherwise might be difficult or time-consuming to traverse. At the July 3 fireworks show at Ballinger Park, patrolling its acres becomes faster and more efficient than driving a car or walking from one end to the other.

The bike came in handy recently for O’Hagan while looking for someone reportedly sleeping in the park. Instead of walking around the 9-acre wooded land, he hopped on the Trek, toggled the pedal assist and zipped on the trails until he found the man and connected him with a social worker.

The two bike unit officers attended a 36-hour training in Spokane recently. It went beyond biking basics and covered how to properly hop curbs and obstacles, braking and dismounting after pedaling at nearly full speed, and side-by-side and team riding.

“It’s one of the most physically demanding courses I’ve been part of,” O’Hagan said.

Those maneuvers present an injury risk. Officers are required to wear a helmet and the department bought elbow and knee pads.

The bikes have emergency lights that flash blue and red, fenders, kickstands, racks/cargo bags and sirens. Each bike has its own hitch-mounted rack and lock, as well as tire pumps and bike tools.

Ben Watanabe: 425-339-3037; bwatanabe@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @benwatanabe.