Friday was apparently some kind of worldwide police tweet-a-thon, in which over 200 police agencies around the world hashtagged their activities with #poltwt. I first noticed the #poltwt hashtag on tweets from some of the local agencies I follow. Notably, I saw mention of Motorcycle Officer Cang, who watched for cell phone violations on El Camino Real in Redwood City.
Motor Ofc. Cang back at ECR and Jefferson looking for cell phone violations. Drive safe in the area. #poltwt pic.twitter.com/Hr7JQDBRCA
— Redwood City Police (@RedwoodCityPD) November 1, 2013
I searched for police tweets that also mention bicycles or bikes. Most were theft reports or reminders to ride safe. There were some accident reports, such as this one in which the cyclist walk away from the scene after his bike was crushed in Los Angeles County. This one from the Cleveland Police earned itself over four dozen retweets as I write this up on Friday night.
Just spotted: guy riding a bicycle, wearing a snuggie. W 117th area. #cantmakethisstuffup #poltwt
— Cleveland Police (@CLEPolice) November 1, 2013
I discovered that Brunswick, OH has continuously operated their bicycle patrol since 1981, and claims to have the longest continuously running bike patrol in the state. A group of constables in New Zealand are touring from the Cape to Wellington on old fashioned chopper bicycles to promote cycling safety.
Several departments posted photos of their bicycle patrols. Officer Enriquez prepares to patrol at a sports event in Polinya, Spain. Officers in Thibodaux, Louisiana suit up for a chilly ride (and check out all of those bikes in their garage!)
I think my favorite comes from the Calgary police, where bike officers patrol an icy path.
Photo of our bike unit on patrol in #yyc. #poltwt pic.twitter.com/pt7NGgTuSY
— Calgary Police (@CalgaryPolice) November 1, 2013
Thibodaux and “chilly” don’t go together real well…