Like all public safety disciplines, bike patrolling has its own unique hazards. Equipment - brakes, gears, chains, pedals - can fail causing you harm. Inadequate headgear and eyewear, improper clothing and footwear can injure you. Weather - heat, cold, sun, rain, snow, wind - can cause untold discomfort and, in extreme cases, be fatal. Additional hazard factors include low light conditions, being in poor physical shape, motorists (some of whom will run you off the road in a heartbeat), curbs, potholes, railroad tracks, sand, gravel, wet leaves, dead animals, car parts and tree branches on the road.
According to Officer TJ Richardson, Bike Patrol Coordinator for the San Antonio Police Department, Secretary to and board member of the International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA), "Lack of training causes more injuries than any other factor." He points out that bike patrol personnel face situations and conditions not encountered by beat and vehicle patrol officers, such as the appropriate method of dismounting from the bike to apprehend a suspect. If it's done incorrectly, not only can you lose your suspect, you may have to be scraped off the sidewalk!
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