9.30.2025 - E-Bike Announcement for FRPD

Okay, so we're here at the uh rail trail to uh roll out some extra electric bicycles we bought for the police department, which we think will make them uh much more accessible to the community at large. It'll allow them to patrol the rail trail, get into the neighborhoods, and make the city overall safer. Uh it's part of the community policing that uh Chief Fatado and her crew are so uh strong on. They want

people out. I saw the guys the other day going down Oakrove Avenue on them. But um particularly on the rail trail where as you know we've done some cleanouts of some uh homeless camps. We want to reclaim this area so people can come down here, take a walk, enjoy the beautiful scenery, walk along the Quicoan River and and and actually get out in Fall River and see all the good

things we have to offer. uh when we partner with the community development agency and then the director Mike Dion, the police department, we can do good things for this city and this is one of them today. Um I'm very very happy to see this. I know we got a good crew of guys that do man the bikes and uh they're committed to making sure they develop relationships with the neighborhoods, the city, and the

residents, which is what we want them to do. So um with that being said, I'll turn it over to uh Chief Fado.

Thank you. Um, Miss Mayor Kugan, good morning. I want to take a moment to thank, uh, Mike Deion and Community Development Agency. Thanks, Mike. For their generosity in purchasing four new ebikes for the neighborhood engagement and enforcement team, which most people know as the neat team. These e these ebikes will give our officers the ability to patrol areas of the city that are harder to reach by cruiser,

particularly places like the rail trail while also allowing them to be connected and vi more visible to the community and within our neighborhoods. This is more than just new equipment. It's another tool in our toolbox that strengthens our relationship with the community and ensures we can respond quickly and effectively while remaining approachable and accessible to the public we serve.

Ultimately, this donation is about keeping Fall River safe while strengthening the bond with the community we serve and we are truly grateful for the support from the community development agency and from uh Mayor Kugan.

We are truly grateful. On behalf of the Federal Police Department, I extend my thanks again for helping us keep Four River safe, connected, and literally moving forward, especially with the new bikes.

They'll be moving forward all fall long, right guys? Yep. So, please, if you want to come up, check the bikes out. The guys are liking them because they have the little electric in them. They don't have to, you know, have human power anymore. So, uh, feel free to come up and take a look at them.

Anybody have any questions?

Mayor, would you describe some of the funding up to this?

Some of the funding, please.

Uh, from the community, uh, development agency, as you know, for many years they partnered with the city on the walking beats. This is really just an extension of that. Um it's part of the community development funding for community policing. Uh then Mike Mike and I sat down and he said how much do they need?

What can we do? And obviously getting four bikes for the um for police department is very important.

This might be a question better suited for one of the bike officers, but what are special features?

We were talking earlier about the tires, right?

How you doing ma'am? Officer Bailey. So, uh, some of the special features of the newer bikes, uh, as the chief was saying, um, they are electric, so we don't have to pedal as much, but the city having as many hills as it does.

Patrolling and like inaccessible areas, um, makes it a lot easier. So, wherever cars can't go, parks, trails, sidewalks, things like that, makes it a lot easier, especially with the wide tires. We also have sirens. We have blue lights, as you can see. And then um packs for like first aid kits and things like that. So we can also attend like medical situations and anything that we could do on a patrol

car. Just a lot more compact.

Is it a job that your unit enjoys?

Absolutely.

The office.

Yes.

On the cruiser.

Yes. So we are we are always out of the office. However, this is uh it's like free exercise.

What are some of the problems that we've seen cleaning up at the rail trail that maybe you're most suited to?

So, we've been doing a phenomenal job with maintaining the rail trail. Um, we we haven't seen as much problems. It's actually been pretty it's been cleaner um coming through the rail trail safer because we've increased patrols, of course.

But you'll go anywhere you need it.

Yes, absolutely.

Thank you so much.

No problem.

We have I believe somewhere around 18 18,000 for all four having them fully um Oh, sorry. Thank you so much.

They cost somewhere around 18, I believe.

but that they're fully equipped with the sirens, the the heavyduty frame, um the bigger tires, which makes it better better balancing for onroad and off-road, the um the bags, the the first stage. So, so we didn't just buy the base model. We made sure they had everything that they needed. Makes it safer at night, too, when they're driving at night to have the lights.

It's pretty loud.

Different light settings like, you know, white light for nighttime. This light will light up at night time as well. Obviously, sirens and stuff like that.

There's different speed levels. Um, obviously like the faster you go, the higher the speed, the more the battery drains but they're really good quality bikes, different terrain options. So, it's it's a good, like I said, it's a good quality bike.

We put a lot of research in making sure that we bought the bike that's going to last the longest, right? So, um it definitely is advantageous to the officers like you said, it gets them out of their office, which is their police car, right? So, we're really um have been focusing on wellness and um back in 1992 when we first started the bike unit. I was uh part of that and I

remember uh being able to drive around on the bike for eight hours. You went home, you felt a lot better, right?

instead of sitting in the cruiser all the time. So, it it makes you feel better. You're out in the open. You get to talk to people and um kids love that.

They love uh the Polaris. Um all our little toys that we have, we call them the toys. They uh the kids just absolutely love that. We bring them to all the, you know, the trunk or treats or uh community events and they really um Halloween night the Polaris will be out. Hopefully, you know, next year we can get the CDA to buy us a new Polaris.

So, we have two. But, um, just a just a note on training, they can they, uh, we have one officer now in training. It's, um, it's, uh, mountain bike school. So, Cobb, it's called Cobweb. And all the bike officers will be trained in that too in specific uh, driving of these bikes. So that's also a good thing.

How does it work out in other communities? New Bedford?

I'm not sure if New Bedford has No, we've had, like I said, we've had the bike unit since 1992. And uh I don't recall anyone else having it that long. Maybe Boston, the bigger cities, but um it's been it's been fantastic for us.

Yep.

Thank you so much.