IPMBA News

Greenville Expands Bicycle Patrols into Neighborhoods

By Jenna Troum, Reporter, WSPA 7, Spartanburg SC, March 30, 2015

Photo:  [Officer McLean patrolled downtown on a bicycle Saturday. (Photo courtesy Greenville Police)] 

GREENVILLE, S.C. -

You can expect to see Greenville Police officers bicycling through neighborhoods and parks within the next few weeks.

The department is expanding its bicycle patrol program that's already been helping to keep families safe downtown and on the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

Cherron Saad bikes that trail with her family a few times a month. She said seeing an officer bicycling on the trail too always makes her feel safer.

“(It) just makes you feel a lot better about going on all parts of the trail, so it's a great thing. Makes you feel good about what you're doing,” said Saad.

The department already has 16 bicycles in its garage. The number of bicycles is staying the same, but now there are 50 officers trained to use them.

Greenville Police spokesman Officer Johnathan Bragg said the expansion was sparked by feedback during the new chief's community forums last year.

Bragg said people told Chief Ken Miller officers driving through their neighborhoods weren't accessible enough.

“Hopefully it'll be more engaging and they'll be more willing to walk up and talk to the officer instead of having the metal barrier around them. So that kind of puts people off from speaking to the police," said Bragg.

Bragg said bicycles not only make officers more visible, they come in handy in situations where a car just won't cut it.

“Bikes can go in places that cars can't, such as parks, like on the trails and stuff, if they needed to go look for someone. And we've used them before on the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Especially when we have medical calls, we'll send a bike out there instead of a car because a car can't get on the trail," said Bragg.

Bragg you can expect to see the full impact of the expansion within the next month.

He said it's likely the department will soon order more bicycles with new funding it's expecting from city council.

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