The Bellingham Police Department expanded its bicycle patrol capability this week, graduating seven officers from the Police Cyclist Course offered by the International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA). The training was led by Officer A. Ridlon, a BPD officer who holds IPMBA instructor certification, allowing the department to conduct the specialized training in-house rather than sending officers to an outside program.
The Bellingham Police Department announced the graduation on social media this week, describing the program as both classroom-based and intensively practical. Officers studied procedures specific to bicycle patrol, completed many hours of riding, and had to pass a challenging cone course, a night bike ride, basic bicycle maintenance training, and practical assessments on how to conduct police business from a bike.
The mountain bike training is designed to prepare officers for patrol work in parks, trails, and areas where patrol vehicles cannot go or where foot patrol would be too slow. In Bellingham, which has an extensive network of parks, greenways, and trail corridors, bicycle patrol offers a practical and community-friendly way to maintain a visible police presence in areas that see significant recreational use throughout the year.
BPD leadership noted that the newly trained officers will supplement the department's existing five-person Bike Patrol Team when staffing allows. Supervisors will now have the flexibility to staff shifts with two officers on bikes for special emphasis patrols in parks and trails during the summer months. The expanded pool of trained cyclists gives the department more options in how it deploys personnel, particularly for events and seasonal patrol needs.
Mountain bike officers are also part of BPD's Public Order Team, which handles larger community events requiring a coordinated, mobile police presence. Events like Bellingham's Memorial Day Parade and the Ski to Sea festival have traditionally included mountain bike officers as part of the event safety plan. Those events draw large crowds and require officers to move quickly through areas not accessible to vehicles.
The IPMBA is the leading professional organization for law enforcement cycling in North America, setting training standards and offering certification programs used by police departments across the country. Its Police Cyclist Course covers a curriculum developed specifically for officers working in public safety roles. The fact that BPD has an in-house IPMBA instructor, Officer Ridlon, allows the department to conduct this training without the cost and time of sending officers away for certification, and makes it easier to maintain and expand that certification over time.
For residents, the expanded bicycle patrol capability is likely to mean more visible officer presence on trails and in parks as the weather improves this spring and summer. Bike patrol officers tend to have more casual interactions with the public than vehicle-based officers, which can help build community relationships. They are also quieter and more maneuverable, making them effective for park enforcement and trail safety work.
BPD has historically maintained a commitment to community-oriented policing, and bicycle patrol is one expression of that approach. Officers on bikes are accessible, visible, and able to engage with community members in settings where a patrol car would be out of place. The addition of seven more trained cyclists gives the department a meaningful expansion of that capability heading into one of Bellingham's busiest outdoor seasons.
