Denver is joining the ranks of several other U.S. cities by adding a fleet of e-bikes to its police department’s patrol vehicles.

According to the locals Fox 31 KDVRDenver will add 27 new e-bikes to its police force, spread across six police districts.

The new e-bike initiative, which was spearheaded by the Denver City Council, Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez, members of the Denver Police Department and the Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resilience, will help provide officers with a more mobile platform that can access areas where patrol cars can’t reach, while allowing officers to respond more quickly.

It’s yet another example of Denver making electric bikes a priority in the city, after recently announcing a additional funds of $1.3 million for its innovative e-bike rebate program designed to make e-bikes more affordable for residents hoping to replace car commuting with more efficient alternative transportation. This rebate program has proven so popular with residents that when each new installment of rebates opens, they are often collected in less than a minute.

Denver police’s adoption of e-bikes is just one example of the rapidly growing trend. The Los Angeles Police Department has used e-bikes (seen above) in its diverse fleet of vehicles for several years.

Many police departments have touted the benefits of e-bikes, which can more easily access areas such as public parks, busy city centers and other locations that are limited to traditional patrol vehicles.

Compared to classic pedal bikes, e-bikes allow police officers to get to a call faster and with less hassle upon arrival.

They are even used for traffic patrols, where policemen mounted on e-bikes were seen pulling over cars for traffic citations just like officers in patrol cars.

E-bikes have also been proven to significantly reduce costs for police departments. In addition to the obvious fuel savings compared to patrol cars with internal combustion engines, e-bikes have greatly reduced the maintenance costs associated with police car fleets.

Who knows, the next time you run that stop sign or go too far over the speed limit, the blue and red lights in your mirror might just be mounted on your handlebars.

Top image: Dall-E generated AI; second image: courtesy of the LAPD