“About four years ago, one of our officers’s got the idea for having bicycle patrolling and ran with it,” said Chief of Shelby Police Department Charlie Roub.
The Shelby Police Department obtained three bicycles that officers can use to patrol the community. Roub said, “We applied for grants that would help us with equipment, uniforms, and bicycles. We received the grant from the Shelby Foundation.”
Roub added, “We knew patrolling on bicycles was something that had been out there for a while and we went for it, too.”
In order for an officer to patrol on the bicycle, training must have been completed prior. “The training that is involved with riding bicycles is mainly for safety precautions. During the training, the officer learns how to pedal properly, change gears of the bicycle, and learns how to ride on the different kinds of terrain such as asphalt and grass,” said Roub.
“The entire department has received this training and are permitted to patrol on bicycles,” said Roub. The bicycle patrolling has been a benefit to the officers and the community. “It’s been helpful for us because we get to go places on the bicycle that we cannot go in the cars.”
Two of the bicycles that are used by the department have computer mounts placed on them that can perform the same tasks as computers in dispatcher vehicles. Roub said, “Students from Pioneer Career and Technology Center designed the computers for us to use on the bicycles.”
Officers who are patrolling on bicycles wear specific uniforms. Officers have the option of wearing yellow shirts, black shorts, or black pants while patrolling.
Roub said, “Patrolling on bicycles has made the officer more approachable and you get the face-to-face interaction with members of the community. The community has enjoyed this interaction with our officers. It’s all been going great and we are pleased with how it has developed.”
“The entire department has received this training and are permitted to patrol on bicycles,” said Chief Roub. “It’s been helpful for us because we get to go places on the bicycle that we cannot go in the cars.”
