Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Chesterton police announce stricter enforcement of illegal motorized 'e‑bikes' after fourth crash
Summary
The Chesterton Police Department told commissioners June 8 it will step up enforcement against motorized vehicles masquerading as e‑bikes after four recent crashes, including one that left a rider with a broken arm; officers will issue warnings to parents and begin impounding repeat offenders.
Chesterton Police Chief told the Police Commission on June 8 that the department will begin stricter enforcement against motorized vehicles being operated as e‑bikes after a string of recent crashes.
“Post presentation tonight, I have informed our officers that we're going to start being a little more strict, and we're going to start getting those units off the road away if they're being operated on the road because they're not legally allowed to be,” the Chief said. He added that the department will initially issue warnings and contact parents, then impound repeat offenders to send “a message of public safety.”
The chief explained that under state law a true e‑bike with pedals is treated as a bicycle, with corresponding bicycle rules, but many of the problem vehicles seen in Chesterton are motorized motorcycles with chains and sprockets and are not legal e‑bikes. He said that distinction matters because some of those vehicles require registration and a driver's license to operate on public roadways.
The department reported four recent crashes this spring involving these vehicles; in the most recent incident a rider sustained a broken arm. “We spent the first six weeks trying to give warnings, educate,” the chief said. “But now we've reached a point with four crashes and someone sustaining a broken arm. We owe it to our community to do our job and to make sure everyone's safe.”
The chief said the department has trained officers to recognize which machines qualify as e‑bikes and which do not and that officers will begin more active enforcement after the presentation he planned to give to the Town Council at 6 p.m. that evening. He estimated canine training for a separately discussed unit will take six to eight weeks before certification and operational use.
The chief credited recent social‑media outreach — including posts on the Town of Chesterton page and the Porter Police Department Facebook page — with an observed decline in noncompliant motorized bikes on the street. He urged parents to inspect vehicles children use and to remove machines that are not legal e‑bikes.
The commission did not take formal action at the June 8 meeting beyond hearing the chief’s report; the department’s next procedural step is the chief’s presentation to Town Council and continued public education and enforcement.
