Duluth Police Department’s Bike Patrol Unit Receives New Additions

DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth Police Department’s Bike Patrol Unit is now riding in style with some new additions.

They are 6 Cannondale Tesoro e-bikes that provide peddle assistance and can last about a whole day of getting around town. The police department received a grant to fund the bikes costing about $4,000 each.

These new bikes will make it easier for officers to interact with the community as well as help officers get around more efficiently.

“Everyone knows downtown is very hilly. And by having an electric assist bike, officers can now go up the hills without burning energy, without getting their heart rate up. Cause we may have to respond to those calls, we wanna make sure we’re going in with as much energy as possible. Having that heart rate low instead of trying to get up that hill and then just expanding that energy,” said Jeremy O’Connor, officer in charge of the bike patrol unit.

The e-bikes also have room to carry items such as Narcan and medical supplies to be able to respond to many different types of calls.