Pedal Power: Bike Patrol Enhances Airport Security

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is American Airlines' second-largest hub and functions like a small city. It has 20,000 people working on its 6,000-acre campus, and in 2024, it welcomed 58.8 million travelers.

So, it’s no surprise that the Airport has its own Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) Division, one of fourteen police divisions in the city. There are 68 full-time personnel, including officers, K9 units, detectives, command staff and 29 hired-back officers (retired CMPD officers who return to work part-time).

Patrols and Calls for Service

However, the Airport’s police officers don’t only patrol on foot or in vehicles. The CMPD Airport Division also has a bike patrol that travels through the terminal, covering the ticketing area, concourses, parking lots, decks and employee lots.

Typical calls include (but are not limited to) responding to an unattended bag, an unruly passenger, a disruption at a gate or on an aircraft and any property theft, crime or disturbance. CMPD also works closely with its federal partners at the Airport.

“We want people to feel comfortable traveling, whether for vacation or business, we want them to feel comfortable with their families in the Airport,” said CMPD Captain Matthew Horner. “So, we spread out our officers as strategically as possible.”

Reducing Response Times

The CLT Bike Patrol began as a pilot program in January 2024 and was fully launched in April 2024. It now has seven bike officers. The Airport uses the police bike patrols to boost visibility, deter crime and reduce response times in the busy, ever-expanding terminal.

“As CLT continues to grow in square footage along with staff and travelers, being creative in how CLT responds to incidents is very important,” said Michael Tobin, CLT Emergency Operations Manager. “With Medic on carts and CFD (Charlotte Fire Department) on bikes as well, CLT has taken the traditional response mode and made it more effective to suit our environment…the name of the game is to be efficient and quick when working within the airport environment for not only those who work here but also the traveling public.”

Depending on the time of day, bike officers can easily ride their mountain bikes through even the Atrium. However, navigating more narrow spaces in crowded areas with travelers, carry-on luggage and other obstacles can present unique challenges.

“If it gets impassable, we can park the bikes and walk the rest of the way, but we use the bikes as a force multiplier,” said Officer Travis Pardue, a retired CMPD Lieutenant who estimates he rides at least 7-10 miles inside the terminal daily. “Especially in bigger Concourses like Concourse A, we can significantly reduce the distance and improve response time.”

The bike patrol is proving effective. CMPD statistics show that, year to date, nearly every crime category tracked at the Airport has experienced double-digit decreases from 2024 to 2025.

“I credit that to keeping our staffing at a high level and placing our officers where they need to be,” added Capt. Horner. “It’s just another asset we have at the Airport.”