On patrol with the e-bike

The regulatory authority of the city of Jena is expanding its field service: on April 13, 2026, the bicycle squadron will officially start its service in the city area. It will be deployed around Holzmarkt for the first time on Saturday, April 11, 2026. With the new service e-bikes, the city is adding another flexible and citizen-oriented deployment option to its existing forms of enforcement consisting of foot patrols and motorized patrols.

The use of bicycles is particularly useful in places where service vehicles can only be used to a limited extent or not at all - for example in pedestrian zones, on shared cycle paths and footpaths, on cycle paths, in parks and play areas or in narrow alleyways. The bicycle patrol thus closes the gap between the spatially limited foot patrol and the less flexible vehicle patrol. In this way, the presence of law enforcement officers in public spaces can be further increased and the density of enforcement in areas that were previously difficult to reach can be improved.

"With the bicycle patrol, we are strengthening the presence of our law enforcement agency in public spaces in a modern way. It makes our colleagues more visible, more mobile and directly accessible to citizens. Our declared aim is to continuously develop the public order authority and to set it up in a modern and efficient way. This includes making sensible additions to existing structures, testing new forms of deployment and equipping our employees in the best possible way for the diverse requirements in the city. The bicycle squadron is an important building block for this because it makes us more flexible and quicker to deploy. We are thus strengthening both our control options as well as our preventative presence and direct dialog on site. The bicycle squadron is therefore much more than just a new tool. It is a further step towards an efficient, citizen-oriented and future-oriented law enforcement agency that stands for safety, order and quality of life in our city," emphasizes Mayor and Head of Public Order Benjamin Koppe.

E-Bikes im Einsatz für die Stadt: Mitarbeiter der Ordnungsbehörde stellen die zwei neuen Dienstfahrräder vor.

© Stadt Jena

More presence and direct contactability

The tasks of the bicycle patrol include, in particular, patrol activities in areas close to the city center and other sensitive areas, the enforcement of municipal statutes and ordinances - such as the Ordnungsbehördliche Verordnung (public order ordinance) or the Grünflächensatzung (green space statutes) -, checks on stationary traffic as well as youth protection and fishing controls.

For citizens, this means above all greater accessibility in public spaces. Unlike from a vehicle, the employees of the regulatory authority are more directly on the move in the urban space on a bicycle and are easier to reach. This strengthens citizen-oriented communication, supports the preventative nature of the regulatory authority's work and can also increase the subjective feeling of safety. What's more, by behaving in accordance with the rules on the roads, law enforcement officers also act as role models for other road users.

Supplementing the field service

The new bicycle squad initially consists of six employees. It is designed as a complementary form of patrol service; the colleagues will continue to work in other operational forms such as foot or vehicle patrols. In addition, the service bicycles can also be used by other employees of the municipal order service. With the introduction of the bicycle squadron, the city of Jena is following the example of numerous other municipalities that have been successfully using company bicycles for years. At the same time, the public order authority wants to set an example for climate protection and the traffic turnaround. The emission-free e-bikes help to reduce the department's carbon footprint.

Deployment from April

E-bikes from the "Diamant" brand will be used. Price and quality were the decisive factors in the selection process. Before the start, the employees were instructed on how to use the bikes. The company bikes are available all year round. However, depending on the weather, they will mainly be used in the months from April to October. With the bicycle squadron, the public order authority is expanding its deployment options in public spaces and strengthening the field service in Jena with a flexible, citizen-oriented and sustainable form of control.