Department details soaring juvenile incidents, collisions and enforcement challenges as proposed ordinance changes are expected next month
FOLSOM — A surge of dangerous, disruptive and increasingly confrontational e-bike and e-motorcycle behavior among juveniles across Folsom prompted an extended and unusually urgent briefing before the Folsom City Council Wednesday night, as police laid out the full scope of the issue and previewed changes they hope the city will adopt next month. With calls for service up nearly 300 percent, collisions tripled, new hotspots emerging and riders fleeing police with growing regularity, council members said the problem is no longer a fringe nuisance but a full-scale public-safety challenge affecting parks, playgrounds, trails, businesses and neighborhoods throughout the city.
Lieutenant Jake Verhalen of the Folsom Police Department’s Neighborhood Services Division began by acknowledging the rising chorus of resident complaints council members have been hearing. “I would imagine, and I’m aware, that most of you have heard from your constituents a variety of complaints going all the way back to when these things really hit the streets in Folsom,” he said. “This gives you more of an overall view… and drills down into just how broad this problem has become.”
He explained the distinctions among Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes, then shifted to one of the most misunderstood problems: e-motorcycles that resemble bicycles but behave like motor vehicles. “It goes faster than 30 miles an hour—some upwards of 60 or even 70 depending on the battery,” he said. “The rider has to have a California driver’s license and a motorcycle endorsement… and it has to be registered with DMV and have a plate.” Yet officers regularly encounter minors riding them at high speeds without any of the required credentials. “You wouldn’t let your 15-year-old drive a Tesla,” he said he often tells parents, “but when it comes to the e-motorcycle, there’s some sort of a disconnect.”
As he shifted from statewide definitions to Folsom-specific data, Verhalen highlighted one of the most striking trends tied to the department’s recent spike in incidents. “‘We’ve seen a 200 percent increase in e-bike usage here in Folsom,’” he told the council, noting that the city’s rapid adoption has far outpaced traditional bicycle growth. Coupled with the 300 percent increase in calls for service and significant spikes in collisions, he said the usage surge is directly contributing to what officers see daily on trails, at parks and around schools.
Between 2023 and 2025, the city saw e-bike–related calls for service jump from 23 to 350—an increase of nearly 300 percent. “More than 90 percent of those are involving juveniles,” Verhalen said. Heat maps showed heavy concentrations at Econome Park, The Palladio, and throughout the Parkway neighborhoods. Even some of the city’s quietest residential areas now experience regular groups of riders traveling at speeds far above trail limits.
Collisions tripled as well. “We only had four in 2023,” Verhalen said. “We’ve had 12 in 2025… and almost two-thirds of the riders were juveniles.” In about three-quarters of those incidents, the juvenile rider was at fault.
Two case examples highlighted just how fast situations can escalate. In one, a juvenile suspected of vandalizing garage doors sped away from an officer at more than 60 mph in a 40 mph zone. “We canceled that pursuit for safety,” Verhalen said, but with help from a sheriff’s helicopter “we were successfully able to capture that juvenile.” In another case, a juvenile riding an e-motorcycle fled from police, dragging an officer approximately 25 feet. “The officer didn’t know he was 16,” Verhalen said. “He had a full-face helmet… that officer has been off duty for many, many months now.”
Council Member Barbara Leary said harassment and intimidation have become routine in some neighborhoods. “Some of the behaviors that go along with the riders… are harassment, following kids around when they’re walking home from playgrounds, or on the playgrounds, disrupting soccer games by riding through there,” she said. “By the time anybody can get there, the kids are gone.” She urged that school-based education address this directly. “Addressing some of those harassing kinds of behaviors might be another message to pass on,” she added, asking whether parents participate in the school sessions. Verhalen said they do not, something the department hopes to improve.
Council Member Anna Rohrbough said her Parkway district is inundated. “This is very concerning,” she said. “It’s pretty much the northern side of Parkway… what people reference as the Duck Pond… and they’re taking those motorcycles through that area, which is a nature reserve.” She questioned whether lowering trail speed limits, increasing fines, or adding signage would help. “We can put all the rules out there we want,” she said. “There already are some rules in place… but how would we enforce it? Because that’s really the problem.”
She continued with a series of rapid-fire follow-up questions about enforcement logistics, consequences, and officer identification. “If we did more ordinance… is there even a way to enforce just allowing it on pavement?” She asked what residents can do, noting that some have already sent her addresses of juveniles causing ongoing disturbances. “Do you still want that information?” she asked. Verhalen told her yes, adding that such tips can help officers identify problem groups.
Rohrbough also sounded an alarm about the holidays. “My concern coming into the holidays is that parents may be gifting their kids new e-bikes, scooters, motorcycles for Christmas,” she said. “What can we do to educate parents now before they’re buying these gifts?” She encouraged the city to use Parks and Recreation publications and other channels to spread awareness.
Vice Mayor Justin Raithel said the heat map confirmed what he sees near his home. “I thought I was just getting old and crotchety because there’s a lot of e-bike challenges,” he joked. “But it’s good to see where to deploy resources.” Later, he asked whether emerging technology could help deter fleeing juveniles. “What does jammer technology look like? Is it EMP that can kill a bike? Giant magnets? I’ll hear about it on the ninth.”
Council Member Mike Kozlowski pressed for clarity on what police can already impound and how the city might identify riders. “Could we require that… if you wanna ride inside your subdivision… you need a Folsom permit?” he asked. “I’ve seen some jurisdictions do it even for regular bicycles.” He asked whether officers can impound e-motorcycles or e-scooters used illegally by minors. Verhalen confirmed they can.
Kozlowski then outlined a more robust system he wants considered: “It should be a shared permit between one of the kid’s parents and the kid… the vehicle should have a registration decal attached to it… if they interact with police without those things, their assignment is to come to the next training… and if they have been to one of the permitting events, then the vehicle gets impounded.”
Like Rohrbough, Kozlowski said drones could be a valuable enforcement tool. He expressed concern over the safety of chasing riders on trails. “Putting a motorcycle on the trails and chasing kids down… is probably dangerous,” he said. Verhalen clarified that officers do not chase riders on trails; motorcycle units use the access to “tuck away” with LiDAR and deter speeding. “As somebody comes down the trail… click the button… pull them over,” he said. For those who flee, he said drones can track them home. “Follow the person on that e-bike home with the drone… knock on that door.”
Throughout the discussion, council members debated whether designating a legal riding zone could help. “If we gave them a place to ride… do you think they would do that?” Kozlowski asked. Verhalen said many would, acknowledging that some would still choose convenience over compliance. “It’s probably a good compromise,” he said.
Rohrbough emphasized the impact on older trail users. “Thirty feels like sixty on the trail,” she said. “Even that’s disorienting, especially when I’m watching toddlers walk around and then dogs and any other pets.”
As the meeting neared its conclusion, Leary pressed again about parental involvement. “Do the parents come to any of those sessions?” she asked. Verhalen acknowledged they do not. Rohrbough then said, “I would like to support anything the police department can do… something that has a little more teeth… and how can we get back into the parents’ hands.”
Council members discussed signage, community involvement, neighborhood speed monitors, and the possibility of posting fines more visibly. Rohrbough said, “There’s not that many signs. I’m on the trails almost every day.” She said the city should consider placing more signs emphasizing the rules for e-bikes specifically.
Kozlowski reminded residents of the next step. “Remember this is coming back to us on December 9,” he said. “It actually takes some action.”
Verhalen said the department is prepared. “As soon as these things hit the streets of Folsom and started to become a problem, we’ve been actively involved in enforcement,” he said. If problems persist after new ordinances are adopted, the department may implement more targeted blitzes similar to those used for organized retail theft. “It wouldn’t be outside the ordinary,” he said, to bring in school resource officers, traffic units and even mutual-aid motorcycle officers to support enforcement.
The Police Department’s formal proposal, expected to include parental accountability measures, local permitting, and clarified enforcement authority, returns to the City Council on December 9.
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