The North Central Police Division is bringing back the bike patrol for year-round duty, thanks to the advent of new trails in the neighborhood.
“We’re getting additional trails and we’re adding to them, and we want to make sure that they are all being patrolled effectively,” says neighborhood police officer, Mark Lutz.
[quote align=”right” color=”#000000″]”When people are actually able to visibly see officers on a bike, as opposed to behind a window in a car, it creates an emotional engagement.”[/quote]For years, police officers used bicycles at malls during the holiday season because of the heavy traffic congestion around the parking lots. According to Lutz, the bike patrol equipment was only accessible during certain times of the year, but the development of hike-and-bike trails convinced North Central’s deputy police chief Rick Watson to make it available all year.
In addition to malls and trails, the police bike patrol will also be used in apartment complexes. Bicycles allow officers to circumvent the traffic situations in many areas and also give them the ability to patrol both paved and unpaved paths.
“We always want to make certain that every place is used for its intended purpose and that everybody feels secure,” Lutz says.
Bike officers will drive to a certain patrol location in a car, drop off the car and ride their bike for a number of miles. If they have to do something or make an arrest, they will radio it in and a car will come meet them at the location.
The bike patrol will be used in conjunction with regular and covert patrols as methods to improve actual safety as well as the perception of safety.
“We’ve had six straight years of crime reduction, but we still need to be working hard for public safety,” Lutz says. “When people are actually able to visibly see officers on a bike, as opposed to behind a window in a car, it creates an emotional engagement. There’s greater contact with a bike officer than one in a car, and that’s very important.”
