Neenah police pedal toward better relations
By Duke Behnke, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, August 29, 2016
Capital Credit Union donated money to purchase five mountain bikes.
(Photo: Danny Damiani/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)
NEENAH WI – Sgt. Clint Driscoll and 10 other Neenah police officers believe in the power of pedaling.
The officers have volunteered to participate in the police department’s new bicycle patrol program, which started Aug. 17. The bike patrol involves far more than crowd control at festivals and parades. The officers will respond to citizen complaints, make traffic stops and write citations. The bikes are equipped with sirens and flashing red and blue lights.
The benefits of the program are many, Driscoll said, including better fitness for the officers, savings on gasoline, less pollution and wear and tear on squad cars, and setting an example for bicycle safety.
The program’s primary advantage, though, is getting officers to interact with the community to improve relations.
"There's so much negative stuff for all law enforcement in the news right now,” Driscoll said. “Obviously, we've had our share of it also. I just think it's important for the citizens of Neenah to be able to have that face-to-face contact with some of our officers in a different setting.
"An officer in bike uniform, with a helmet on and a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, is a lot more approachable than your typical officer who's impersonal driving by in a squad car."
The police department purchased five mountain bikes for the program from Cranked Bike Studio. Capital Credit Union donated $2,675 to cover the cost.
Tom Young, president and chief executive officer of Capital Credit Union, said the donation is a way to thank police for catching a man suspected of robbing its Neenah branch in March.
"They did a very nice job for us," Young said. "They were very prompt and very courteous, and they had the guy within a matter of hours after the robbery. We just wanted to show our appreciation for a job well done."
Neenah's new police bikes are equipped with flashing lights and a siren. (Photo: Danny Damiani/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)
The 11 officers in the bike program are required to pass a health screening, and Driscoll has gone through a 32-hour training course developed by the International Police Mountain Bike Association. He will be instrumental in training the other officers on bike patrol. Driscoll said the training involves agility and balance tests, riding up and down stairs, and jumping curbs.
The bikes are mounted on the back of police cars. An officer will park at a central location in their patrol zone and take the bike from there.
Driscoll already has patrolled Doty, Shattuck, Riverside and Kimberly Point parks, which are getting heavy use from players of Pokemon Go. Officers on bikes can patrol trails and wooded areas that can't be reached by car.
The early response from the community has been positive, Driscoll said. One couple told him they had greater trust in officers on bicycles.
"You're forced to engage versus just driving by in a squad car," he said. "The number of hellos and little waves that I've gotten on the bike is definitely different for me."
Community liaison officer Stu Zuehls said the bike patrol officers set an example for youth in the community.
"We're saying, 'Hey, this is cool. Look at me wearing the helmet. I'm out there being healthy, riding the bike, not sitting inside of the house playing video games,'" Zuehls said.
Neenah police have had a bicycle program in the past, but Driscoll said it was never fully developed or embraced. This time, the program will track the number of hours on the bikes, citizen contacts, citations issued and arrests made.
The bike patrol carries some inherent advantages and disadvantages.
Driscoll said he has better mobility on a bike than in a squad car to catch a running suspect. He said the officers are trained how to use the mechanical advantage of a bike and how to dismount in a tactical manner.
On the other hand, he's not going to be as effective catching a fleeing motorist or responding to an emergency across town. Residents, though, still should be covered.
"We have enough other officers working for emergency calls, so they're going to get the same response time whether I'm on my bike or not," Driscoll said.
Other area police departments that operate bike patrol programs include Appleton, Menasha, Oshkosh and Sheboygan.