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Police urge parental oversight as e-bike misuse grows in Kensington
Summary
County officers told the council that faster e-bikes, scooters and unregistered "dirt bikes" are appearing in downtown areas, creating safety and enforcement challenges and prompting calls for parental involvement and reporting to nonemergency lines.
Montgomery County officers told Kensington council members on May 13 that e-bikes and rental scooters are increasingly a public-safety and traffic issue in downtown commercial corridors and outlined enforcement steps and legal limits for juveniles.
Officer Demond Johnson described multiple device types — pedal-assist e-bikes, stand-up rental scooters and sit-down, motorcycle-like "dirt bikes" — and said the devices behave differently under Maryland law. "You have the e-bikes, but you also have the e-scooters and you have the e-dirt bikes," he said, adding that some platforms "must be tagged and a person must have a helmet to operate" and that devices without pedals can effectively be classified as motor vehicles that require registration and safety equipment.
Johnson said much of the problem appears to be juveniles riding recreationally in sidewalks and streets, performing wheelies and creating hazards for pedestrians and bicyclists. "When you have these kids that are doing these things, they're riding on sidewalks...they're in traffic," he said. He urged parents to know what they have purchased for their children and to be involved in supervising their use.
On enforcement and juvenile procedure, Johnson cited Maryland practice for juvenile questioning: "Between the ages of 12 and 17, we can't question that particular individual for any criminal activity...without an attorney present." He said when juveniles are taken into custody officers fingerprint them and contact the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) for guidance; Sergeant Hall added that traffic charges are often easier to pursue and that parents can sometimes be charged for allowing an unregistered motor vehicle.
Officers urged residents to report erratic behavior to the nonemergency number so police can track patterns and respond appropriately. Johnson also said the county has a community operations sergeant who has prepared a PowerPoint on e-bikes and that the department would consider having that sergeant attend a future council meeting for a deeper briefing.
Why it matters: council members said they want clearer guidance they can share with residents and businesses. Officers proposed more outreach (tip sheets, newsletter items) and said some enforcement is already underway; they also noted equipment and adjudication limits that make parental supervision and community reporting important to shaping outcomes.
The council did not enact new rules at the meeting; rather, members discussed outreach, clarification and additional education for residents and business owners.
