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HARRISON, N.Y. (FOX 5 NY) - The Harrison Police Department in Westchester County has rolled out bikes equipped with a powerful battery that can propel an officer up to 28 mph. It is the first police department in the county to add e-bikes to its fleet.
"The average bicyclist travels a mile in 6 minutes. This same e-bike can travel the same distance in a little over 2 minutes," Chief Joe Yasinksi said. "This allows our officers to respond to areas quicker with less effort and more efficiency."
Yasinksi said he researched the $3,800 motor-assisted e-bikes, which are being used by the LAPD. He said that when covering 25 square miles of this village, these e-bikes can be the fastest way to get to an emergency.
"I responded to a medical call and I ended up beating one of the sectors cars there," Officer Tom Milone said. "Somebody having difficulty breathing—I was able to get there before the [car]."
The department is changing the game when it comes to safety and going beyond the call of duty, one pedal at a time.
"We felt like these bicycle will accomplish our mission a lot quicker," Yasinksi said.
The e-bikes have already been patrolling for about a month. The department is open to increasing the fleet of e-bikes in the coming years.