Belleair police have pair of new bikes thanks to resident
By BRIAN GOFF, TBN Correspondent, November 14, 2018
BELLEAIR – Thanks to a Belleair resident who felt the Police Department needed a new tool to effectively patrol the community, the department now has two new mountain bikes for its officers to go where police cruisers cannot.
The bikes, unveiled at the Commission meeting on Nov. 7, are Bontrager Trek bicycles. The basic cost of the bicycles is just over $1,200. By the time they were outfitted for police work the cost more than doubled to $2,700 each.
The bicycles were paid for entirely by the Belleair Community Foundation. The BCF has in the past contributed to many community projects.
Commissioner Karla Rettstatt, the founder of the BCF, said the fact that someone cared enough to come forward and draw attention to the need for the bicycles makes her proud to be a Belleair resident.
“I was taken aback by the type of community that we live in,” she said. “That a private citizen could come forward to make it happen is special.”
Town Manager J.P. Murphy said the bikes will be particularly effective in patrolling the Pinellas Trail. In addition, he said they will be used for community policing and for special events.
One officer has already been trained and certified by the International Police Mountain Bike Association. Murphy said a plan is in order to train and certify other officers.