Itasca’s police department told the village board on Dec. 2 that the village’s current e‑bike ordinance — focused on rider behavior and a 750‑watt cap — has reduced problems and should be maintained with continued education.

In a 45‑minute presentation, a police presenter described how the department moved away from an earlier, hard‑to‑enforce classification system and toward a simpler approach that officers can check in the field by wattage and by observing driving behavior. “We’ve had about 67 calls for the year…we’ve issued 18 warnings, we’ve issued 4 actual citations,” the presenter said, adding that the department recorded zero e‑bike accidents this year and one scooter crash with no injuries.

The presenter credited a village‑led public education campaign with much of the improvement. The campaign included school presentations, flyers and a summer “safe driver pledge” for students. He said the department partnered with the local school district to distribute materials and that an officer visited classrooms to speak directly with students.

Trustees raised safety and visibility concerns. One trustee noted that many riders and bikes are dark and lack visible lights during daytime hours; the presenter said Illinois law treats class‑1 and class‑2 e‑bikes like bicycles and requires front and rear lights at night but not in daylight. On helmets the presenter said state law does not require helmets for e‑bikes; the village could impose stricter local rules if it chose to.

On enforcement strategy, the presenter said officers try to avoid pursuits for safety reasons and use warning/citation escalation when repeat contacts are documented. He described the use of an unmarked “pop unit” to observe problem areas and follow up with compliance efforts rather than chase young riders.

Multiple trustees praised the department’s education effort and noted observed behavior improvements since the program began. Board members also asked staff to consider whether village ordinances should be harmonized with neighboring municipalities to reduce confusion for riders who come from other towns.

The board did not vote on changes to the e‑bike ordinance at the meeting; the police presentation stood as the department’s recommendation to keep the current ordinance paired with continued education and targeted enforcement.