Bicycle Patrol

Officers Sperry, Kernor, Cicchetti, and Ruiz have all attended a forty hour in-service training course on mountain bike patrol.  The department also has several other officers who are trained in the use of the police mountain bike for patrol use.   These officers use this valuable tool while on routine patrol each day.   

Officers on mountain bikes are a nice supplement to the car patrols in the patrol division and are often used to approach suspects in a quick, silent manner. You will often see officers on bike patrol enforcing our parking laws and bicycle laws in the downtown area. Officers on bike patrol are also more approachable to the public and are much more mobile than an officer is on foot patrol. Bike patrols have been very effective in town and we have received a very positive response from the public about the effectiveness of the patrols.

The police department also periodically holds a bicycle rodeo during the summer.  Children are instructed by officers on saftey.  Officers conduct registrations of the childrens bicycles and ensure the children are aware of the value of bike helmets.  The officers obtain the identifiers for the individual bikes and this information is entered into the departments computer dispatch system in the event that the bicycle is stolen in the future. This often assists officers in locating the stolen bicycles and arresting the individual(s) who stole the bike.

Officers were trained in the techniques of braking maneuvering up and down steps, as seen below, and how to take suspects down using a bicycle.  The biggest benefit by far is the stealth like characteristics of the bicycle and the fact that the criminal element has yet to catch up on this new Law Enforcement Weapon.

Police Officers

Michael Kernor

and

Harry Ruiz

With the use of the bicycle patrols, as seen here conducted year round except when icy the community policing division can quickly and quietly conduct patrols and extend the contact with citizens to beneficial personal interactions.  This allows for the public to get to know the police on a personal level and in turn allows for the free exchange of information between the public and the police.

As seen here the interaction of the Town of Dover Police Department and the public has been greatly improved by the movement of police officers from the inside of patrol units to the expanded mobility of the mountain bike.