The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office added something new to its patrol fleet — electric bikes. The department recently purchased three e-bikes, each costing around $5,000.
The bikes can reach speeds of 28 miles per hour and access areas that traditional patrol vehicles and standard bicycles can’t.
Deputies can now ride across beaches, wooded areas, and narrow trails, allowing them to respond faster and more efficiently in tough-to-reach spots.
Deputies rode into the woods on the e-bikes Wednesday afternoon and signed over 20 homeless people up for housing.
“Normally on the pedal bike, halfway through the day, I have to start pushing my partner,” said Deputy Lou Henyecz. “Today, he was able to keep up all day.” "This is just like a second patrol vehicle for me. We can do everything we do in a car, just on a bike.
Henyecz said, "E-bikes are a tremendous amount of growth there for people driving e-bikes. So to keep up with an e-bike, you need an e-bike."
Deputy Bill Miller said, "We cover more ground. I mean, we literally can cover miles and miles. Get there quicker and more efficiently. And we're not as tired when we get there."
“We’ve had these things off-road — through dirt paths, grass fields,” added Deputy Dominick Lerfino. “It makes it so much easier to get to places we couldn’t before. And we can do it quickly — and silently.”
The Sheriff’s Office says these new bikes won’t just be used for everyday patrols. Deputies plan to bring them to community outreach events, school visits, and even use them to arrest people when needed.
The e-bikes were designed and built by Pedelec, a small business based in Punta Gorda. The owner spent nearly two years developing the model now being used by deputies.
"We have done things to the bike that was specific demanded by the sheriff's department that the civilian version doesn't have," Philip Pfaeffli, owner of Pedelec, said. "It has double-wall enforced aluminum fenders, and it runs basically off from a computer. It's like a computer on two wheels."
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