Foundation grant revitalizes Mansfield PD bike patrol
By Brittany Schock, Staff Reporter, The Richland Source, May 28, 2016
[Matt Loughman] Det. Matt Loughman patrols the Final Friday Concert Series on May 27 on a new bike, courtesy of a grant from the Richland County Foundation. Photo by Emily Dech, Staff Reporter
MANSFIELD OH – The Mansfield Police Department will be pedaling in style this summer thanks to a grant from the Richland County Foundation.
According to Det. Matt Loughman, the grant helped pay for eight new bikes for the police department. The bikes are equipped with everything a police officer might need, including lights and a siren.
The bike patrol is just part of the Mansfield Police Department’s effort to revitalize its Community Policing Unit. Last year, the unit increased from two officers to four thanks to a grant from the Northern Ohio Violent Crimes Consortium.
“Community policing is exactly what it sounds like – you’re getting back into the community, talking to people and trying to get community input to find out what their problems are,” Loughman said. “We’re trying to build a good relationship in the community and work together to solve problems.”1
Loughman was one of the original members of the Mansfield Police bike unit when it first began in the mid-1990s. Until last year, the police department hadn’t had a bike force in almost 10 years.
“Back when they started, Chief (Ken) Coontz and I were on it together,” Loughman said. “He and I spent a lot of time on the bikes together and we really enjoyed it. He really loves the aspect of getting back to the community.”
These days, the bike patrol unit consists of anywhere from 10 to 15 officers, all on a volunteer basis. Loughman said the unit has patrolmen, patrol supervisors, and even administrators.
The patrol made its summer debut at the Downtown Mansfield Inc. Final Friday Concert Series in May. Last year, the unit pedaled alongside marchers in April’s “Unity in the Community” rally and march. Officers often ride in parades as well.
But most importantly, the bike patrol’s job is to start riding in high crime areas where there are higher call volumes, hoping to solve problems by immersing themselves in the neighborhoods.
“It helps get the conversation going,” Loughman said. “People from Mansfield don’t see us on bikes that often and it actually starts quite a bit of conversation, and we want that positive interaction.”
For Loughman, he enjoys the change of pace as well as the exercise that being on a bike brings. More than that though, he enjoys helping to create positive relationships with the police department that might not always exist.
“I like talking to people and letting them know the police department is there to help,” he said. “We’re good men and women who really care about the community.”