Calgary cop teaches Ukraine’s new police force how to protect and connect atop two wheels
By DAMIEN WOOD, Calgary Herald, August 7, 2016
It was exactly what veteran Calgary police officer Sgt. Katrina O’Reilly had wanted to see — new Ukrainian mountain bike patrol officers making an impact on the public.
While Olympics-bound athletes were being announced on a stage in Kyiv last month, people from the crowd kept stopping the officers to chat them up and get pictures taken with them.
Just a week before, O’Reilly said, those same officers were asking her if it was OK to shake civilians’ hands while working — if she ever did while working back home.
So she told them: “If people want to shake my hand, I’m proud to shake theirs.”
O’Reilly has been with the Calgary Police Service for 20 years, and has spent roughly 15 of those years on bikes — today she’s sergeant for the District 1 mountain bike unit and the citywide mountain bike co-ordinator.
She teaches the ins and outs of policing atop two wheels across Western Canada, and in July she took an opportunity with Agriteam Canada Consulting to bring 50 of Ukraine’s newest national officers up to speed.
“We’ve seen the success of bicycle patrol in Canada for a number of years now, from crime prevention to immediate, quick responses to the mobility,” O’Reilly said.
“I think it also really brings value to their connection with their community.
“It’s such a casual, approachable thing, in my experience anyway, and it was great to see their eagerness.”
Connection with the community and coming off as casual and approachable is key to Ukraine’s new officers, trying to shed previously shady reputations.
Agriteam’s work with the National Police of Ukraine to reach that goal was funded by the Canadian government — several Calgary officers have provided their expertise.
“Some of (my) course training included the fitness portion of it, and talking to them about keeping their fitness up and how to remain hydrated . . . a portion of the training included the crowd control side of things and how to work the parades, protests and rallies that occur in any community and how to do that in a professional manner,” O’Reilly said.
Mountain bike policing is unique in its challenges, O’Reilly said, as well as in its advantages.
“When you’re driving up in a patrol car you have a little more time to evaluate,” O’Reilly said.
“When you’re on a bike, sometimes you roll up on things quite quickly . . . you need to have an ability to be observant and use your bike — to keep your bike between yourself and a person or situation that might be dangerous.
“Many of the towns in Ukraine have a lot of pedestrian walkways and a lot of festivals and a lot of tourist areas, (and) a bike patrol is really ideal for that.”