IPMBA News

Clear Lake beefing up bicycle patrol

MOLLY MONTAG, June 6, 2016, Globe Gazette 

[Police Bike] CHRIS ZOELLER, The Globe Gazette

Clear Lake Police Officer Eric Hythecker mounts his patrol bike on the back of his patrol vehicle Wednesday in Clear Lake. The Police Department is expanding use of the bikes by having officers drive their vehicles to more remote areas and parks then using the bicycles to patrol those areas.

CLEAR LAKE IA — The public will soon be seeing a lot more of the Clear Lake Police Department’s bicycle patrol.

After tuning up the department’s Cannonade mountain bikes, three Clear Lake officers hit the streets recently as part of a ramped-up bike patrol designed to give people better access to Clear Lake police.

The department has used bicycles in the past, often during special events, but Police Chief Pete Roth wants the agency’s three bicycle officers to incorporate the cycles into their everyday police work.

“This is just baby steps, and we’re just going to try to implement it more and more,” he said. “Hopefully, it’ll be more of a regular occurrence to see a bike officer as opposed to only seeing one at events.”

Weather permitting, of course.

“They can handle calls on the bike,” Roth said. “They just won’t be able to do traffic control, they won’t be able to transport anybody, (but) they can show up on calls and take a report just like an officer in a car can.”

Officer Eric Hythecker will use a bicycle during his evening shift. Officers Zachary Hall and Marc Kappmeyer will have access to the bicycles during late-night patrols.

All will help during large community events.

The Mason City Police Department also uses a bicycle patrol for large community events, such as the recent North Iowa Band Festival Parade.

However, due to a tight budget the Mason City police may limit bicycle patrols to instances when they would be of help solving a particular issue, said Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley.

In Clear Lake, the bike patrols will be worked into the regular schedules when time allows.

Hythecker, who did bike patrol last year, says people are more likely to approach and interact with him when he’s on a bicycle as opposed to being in a squad car.

“You’re obviously a lot more visible because you’re not in a car and they can come talk to you, ask you directions, how to get to places — especially during special events,” Hythecker said. “During RAGBRAI (in 2014), we had a lot of people that rode right up to us and asked us questions.”

Additionally, police say bicycle officers are sometimes able to get to a suspect more quickly and covertly than an officer in a vehicle.

Many of the bicycle patrols will be downtown, which is a hub of activity in summer, but a new detachable bike rack will allow officers to easily drive the bicycles to other areas.

Officers can park the squad vehicle and patrol by bicycle in a radius around the car.

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