HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL PR 2010-10-06 Police mountain bike training
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Betsy Fields
Research & Communications Manager
bfields@leesburgva.gov
703-771-2734
Leesburg Hosts Police Mountain Bike Training Course
Leesburg, VA (October 6, 2010) – The Town
of Leesburg recently hosted the Northern
Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy’s
Police Mountain Bike basic training class.
Nineteen officers from Arlington County, the
City of Alexandria, the City of Manassas
Park, the Metropolitan Washington Airports
Authority, Metro Transit Police, Loudoun
County and the Town of Leesburg
participated in the four-day class which took
place during the last week of September.
Taught by Officer Bruce Jackson, of the George Mason University Police Department, and
Officer Greg Parsons, of the Leesburg Police Department, the class follows the International
Police Mountain Bike Association’s (IPMBA) training standards. The class combines classroom
training with practical experience. Using a variety of environments within the Town of
Leesburg, such as the Village at Leesburg, Ida Lee Park, the Historic Downtown and a number of
residential neighborhoods, students learn how to handle mountain bikes in situations involving
obstacles such as stairs, curbs, or off-road trails. The basic training class is offered twice a year
in Leesburg and is part of the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy’s calendar of
in-service training opportunities for member agencies.
According to IPMBA, the use of mountain bikes is one of the fastest growing trends in law
enforcement. Mountain bikes provide the ability to have a highly mobile and visible patrol
presence in places where cars cannot go, like parks, crowded or congested areas, alleys, and
pedestrian-oriented shopping centers. The Leesburg Police Department has 18 officers trained
for mountain bike patrols. These officers have been deployed in the Historic Downtown, during
the 4th of July celebration at Ida Lee Park, and other similar situations.
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TOL PR 2010-10-06 Police mountain bike training
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“Police bikes provide flexibility in patrolling the myriad of environment found in our
community,” explained Joseph Price, Leesburg’s Police Chief. “We have found their usage to be
key components of our community policing strategies.”
For more information about the use of mountain bikes in law enforcement, please visit the
IPMBA website at www.ipmba.org.
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