Police step up bike patrols in Rio Grande
David Benson / Staff Photographer: Class II officers Kody Smith and Garrett Moretti will ride with Sgt. James Loftus and Patrolmen James D’Alonzo and Steve Novsak in bike patrols of Rio Grande.
By David Benson, Shore News Today, July 30, 2015
RIO GRANDE (NJ) – An increased police focus in Rio Grande will make Middle Township officers more visible in that area, an official said recently, especially because five of the department’s officers will be wearing bright yellow shirts and riding bicycles.
“We’ve wanted to have more patrols in Rio Grande and on the bike path,” said Police Chief Christopher Leusner.
“Putting more officers on bikes gives the officers a chance to interact with the public and business owners,” he said. “We want the residents to see the officers and feel safe.”
While the cops on bikes will be easily seen, the two-wheeled patrols also gives officers an opportunity to be stealthier, as well as allowing access to areas that would otherwise be unreachable for officers in patrol cars.
Earlier this year, Township Committee passed a resolution allowing the police department to hire two additional Class II officers, raising the complement of temporary police to seven.
In January, Leusner said he planned to use the extra manpower to add additional patrols in Rio Grande and along the Route 47 corridor, after a database of crime and traffic incidents showed that to be an area of concern.
Leusner said that putting officers where crime or accidents could happen make the area safer. That means that Route 47 will have increased patrols between mile markers 5 and 8, and mile markers 12 and 16.
The department has 48 full time officers. Three of those officers will join the Class IIs in regular patrols along the streets, sidewalks and wooded areas of Rio Grande.
“This gives us the chance to get up close and personal with the residents in Rio Grande,” said Patrolman James D’Alonzo. “Sometimes we encounter crimes in progress, because we can go where people don’t expect to see us.”
The bikes also give the officers a chance to meet and greet residents.
“We’re more accessible on a bike than in a patrol car,” said Sgt. James Loftus. People are more likely to approach a cop on a bike than they are to flag down a car for a chat, or report a crime, he said.
“We’re patrolling the area on a daily basis,” he said. “Rio Grande isn’t that big, and we’ll be everywhere.”
That includes taking the Fuji Tahoe mountain bikes along paths through wooded areas, onto the bike path, on sidewalks and to the bus stops.
On a typical four-hour shift, a patrol officer might put 30 miles on his bike, said Class II Officer Kody Smith.
The five officers will also be putting mileage on their shoes, D’Alonzo said.
Police will conduct more walk-throughs of area businesses, both large and small, he said.