This Green Bay cop does his patrol on skateboard
Okay, admittedly, "Skateboard Cop" sounds like the premise for a terrible made-for-TV action movie from 1997, but this one is real. Officer Joel Zwicky is a police officer from Green Bay, Wisconsin who patrols the streets on a specially-designed longboard.
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Though Zwicky does have a patrol car for his main duties, he prefers the skateboard in a stop-and-go environment where the car would be impractical, such as traffic patrol after a Packers game.
Zwicky designed the board himself:
He knew he needed a stable, low-to-the-ground board that could travel long distances, so he chose a two-foot-long longboard with a deck (board) made by Subsonic, GBomb-manufactured forks (the metal brackets that attach wheels to the board) and Dont-Trip Poppys trucks (wheels).
Because of his Kevlar vest, sidearm, ammunition, radio and other gear, Zwicky factored in the additional weight he carries while on duty as he designed his board.
The underside of his skateboard sports a large decal of the Green Bay Police logo. On each end of the deck Zwicky attached small, square red-and-blue flashing lights, which he didn't have yet when he pulled over the motorbike on the trail. He still doesn't have a siren, however, if absolutely needed he could just yell.
Though he hasn't pulled over anyone since, Zwicky has used his skateboard with flashing lights at crash scenes, standing it on its side like a flare to warn motorists away from the accident.
The department says that the skateboarding cop is giving them more "credibility with teens" (which definitely sounds like something that someone with zero credibility with teens would say) and has allowed Zwicky to patrol areas which are normally logistically problematic for cops.
Good thing I saved all my "Skateboarding is not a crime" stickers from middle school!
To find out more about Zwicky and his patrol, you can visit his website -- skateboardcop.com
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