Police have been cracking down on the illegal use of e-bikes in the 5th Precinct, seizing dozens of the vehicles from young people who have been wreaking havoc on local streets, Inspector Scott E. Skrynecki said during a recent meeting of the Community League of Garden City South.
During the Aug. 5 meeting, Nassau County police officials spoke with residents about safety concerns, enforcement and the role parents and community members can play in preventing the dangerous operation of e-bikes.
Skrynecki, commanding officer of the 5th Precinct, which also covers Elmont and Franklin Square, said that officers have been actively enforcing e-bike laws as complaints about reckless riding have increased. Under New York state law, Nassau County riders must be at least 16 to operate an e-bike. Class 1 e-bikes are allowed on Nassau County roads with speed limits of 30 mph or less. Riders under 18 are required to wear a helmet.
“We are making stops on these e-bikes,” Skrynecki said.
Skrynecki said many of the riders break traffic laws, pointing to the excessive speed of some e-bikes and the potential danger to both riders and pedestrians.
“These kids don’t know how to handle an e-bike that goes 30 miles an hour,” he said.
According to Skrynecki, police have responded to serious e-bike crashes, including fatalities involving e-bikes across the county.
He said officers also have seen riders traveling the wrong way on sidewalks and through areas where pedestrians may not expect fast-moving bikes.
As a result, the department has intensified enforcement, he said. Skrynecki said that when officers see e-bikes being used illegally, they are impounded and riders can face fines of up to $700, in addition to costs associated with retrieving an impounded bike.
Skrynecki urged residents to report dangerous e-bike activity when they see it taking place. He added that police must prioritize emergency calls, but information from residents can help officers identify problem areas and respond to recurring issues.
“Please report those kinds of things as they’re happening,” Skrynecki told residents at the meeting.
Thomas Daly, assistant commissioner of the 5th Precinct, said community members can also help police identify e-bike activity before it escalates into an even bigger problem. He said the department is looking into ways to make it easier for residents to submit information electronically.
Daly said officers have encountered groups of young people who have used social media to plan a place to gather and ride together. While a small group of children riding in a park may not initially appear dangerous, larger groups can quickly become disruptive, he said.
Daly also discussed the department’s approach when e-bike riders flee from officers, adding that police must weigh the potential risks of a pursuit.
Skrynecki explained that officers generally will not engage in a high-speed chase of someone on an e-bike because of the potential danger to the rider, pedestrians and other motorists.
“A kid on an e-bike, it’s a no-go,” Skrynecki said, “because the chance of us chasing after them and them injuring themselves or someone else is just not worth the risk.”
He said choosing not to pursue e-bike riders, however, does not mean police are ignoring them. Officers can use other investigative tools, including obtaining license plate information, reviewing video footage and using the department’s intelligence resources to later identify riders.
The issue of the dangerous use of e-bikes also comes as police continue to monitor large gatherings and so-called youth “takeovers” organized through social media. Skrynecki said some events have been organized by teenagers online, drawing young people from outside the immediate community.
Police from the 5th Precinct have used their intelligence unit and problem-oriented policing officers to monitor social media and have successfully prevented large gatherings. Skrynecki said officers have blocked several planned takeovers by identifying them in advance.
Police officials also emphasized that parents play an important role in addressing the issue. Skrynecki said many of the young people riding high-powered e-bikes are children from local communities, making parental awareness and supervision particularly important.
He said some e-bikes can cost thousands of dollars, raising questions about how parents may not know what their children are up to or where they are riding.
For local civic leaders, cooperation between residents and police is an important part of addressing e-bike concerns.
Marge Kelly, president of the Community League of Garden City South, said residents should continue sharing information with police.
“As a civic, we can’t do what we do without information from our community, and as the police department, it’s the same thing,” Kelly said. “They need the information to come in, no matter how little you think it is or how big it is.”
Police officials said the department’s goal is not simply to issue tickets or seize e-bikes, but to prevent injuries and address dangerous behavior before it becomes a larger problem.
Skrynecki said residents should continue reporting concerns and working with officers to identify problems in their neighborhoods.
“We want to be proactive,” he said. “We want to hear about things that are going to happen so we can stop them.”
