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Crown Point police outline department stats, community programs and e‑bike guidance
Summary
Assistant Chief Jim Janda said Crown Point Police has 52 sworn officers and reported 21,061 calls for service last year; officers described e‑bike classes, age and helmet rules and said the city’s ordinance committee is drafting comprehensive rules for e‑mobility devices.
Assistant Chief Jim Janda used the city's monthly public forum to outline the Crown Point Police Department’s staffing, workload and community outreach, and to address rising local concerns about electric bicycles and other e‑mobility devices.
Janda said the department has 52 sworn officers. "Last year our patrol division responded to 21,061 calls for service," he said, adding officers conducted 4,497 traffic stops, investigated 1,288 crashes and made 777 arrests. He described specialized units including detectives, school resource officers, bike patrol and K‑9, and said the department recently added vehicles, canine units and handheld ballistic shields.
On e‑bikes: Officer Leslie Malarich, a school resource officer assigned to the bike unit, summarized current rules and education efforts. She said e‑bikes are allowed on sidewalks generally but local ordinance prohibits them on sidewalks in the Central Business District; classes 1, 2 and 3 are treated differently, and class 3 riders must be at least 15 and wear helmets. Malarich said the department obtained grant‑funded e‑bikes for patrol use and plans to expand D.A.R.E. or school programs to include e‑bike education.
Enforcement and ordinance development: Janda said citations can be written under state statute or local ordinance depending on the incident, and that the city’s ordinance committee met last week to begin drafting comprehensive language that could cover e‑bikes, motorized skateboards and other electric mobility devices. He encouraged education at point of sale, school programs and patrol assignments to targeted hotspots.
Community programs: Janda highlighted outreach such as Coffee with a Cop, National Night Out (Aug. 4), summer camps and a kids program under Corporal Hassie; the department plans community events and patrols at high‑use trails and downtown locations.
Next steps: the department will continue education in schools, provide handouts and update the public through social media and the city page as ordinance language and enforcement practices evolve.
