EASTON, Pa. — Two new e-bikes gifted to the Easton Police Department will help officers traverse the hilly city more quickly and efficiently, officials say.
- The Easton Police Department received two new e-bikes
- The e-bikes will help officers traverse the hilly city more quickly and efficiently, officials say
- They were funded by a grant from Air Products Foundation, and given in collaboration with the Greater Easton Development Partnership
Thanks to a grant from Air Products Foundation in collaboration with the Greater Easton Development Partnership, the department’s Bike Unit will add two electronic bicycles, or e-bikes, with rechargeable batteries that power an electric motor.
That provides riders with assistance on hills and extra speed on level terrain, officials said.
“We are excited to partner with the City of Easton and the Air Products Foundation on this public safety initiative and hope that efforts like these will continue to make our city safe and more bike-friendly," Greater Easton Executive Director Jared Mast said.
The 62-officer Easton Police Department has 31 certified bike officers, with all officers riding in at least part-time capacity.
“E-bikes will allow our officers to better navigate the city given its terrain. They would be able to respond to emergency calls more quickly while expending less energy," department."Bike Unite Coordinator Robert Jones
“E-bikes will allow our officers to better navigate the city given its terrain. They would be able to respond to emergency calls more quickly while expending less energy," department Bike Unite Coordinator Robert Jones said.
Jones added the e-bikes also will be used to train other Easton officers in addition to other police departments.
“They will give our instructors a better ability to move and ride throughout the class while training," Jone said. "On many occasions when teaching classes that have a large group it can be hard to move from the front of the class to the back and back up to the front but with an e-bike this would no longer be an issue."
Additional e-bikes are being considered for the fleet.
The e-bikes, which come from Trek, a Wisconsin-based high-performance bike manufacturer, can retail for up to thousands of dollars, were purchased from Trek's Easton location.
These particular e-bikes are designed and built specifically for police use by Trek.
“We are honored to provide this support to the bike officers of Easton,” Air Products’ Laurie Hackett said. “The work they do in the city to keep our friends and neighbors safe is valued and appreciated.”
