Monument Police Department ‘rolls’ out new bike patrol unit, thanks to grant from local homebuilder
By BENN FARRELL, The Tribune, December 15, 2020
Photo: From left, Town of Monument police officer James Wader, Mayor Don Wilson, Kim Sandoval of Classic Homes, town manager Mike Foreman, Lisa Sabell of Challenger Homes, officer Andrew Romano, police chief Sean Hemingway, Trustee Jim Romanello and Austin Roff of Challenger Homes gather Dec. 8 on the steps of town hall to introduce the department’s bicycle patrol unit. Benn Farrell/Tribune.
MONUMENT CO • As of Dec. 8, the next phase of the Monument Police Department’s mission to increase community engagement was deployed.
The Town of Monument held a special event on the steps of town hall where Police Chief Sean Hemingway and officers, Town Manager Mike Foreman and staff and members of the Board of Trustees introduced the police department’s new bicycle patrol unit.
Foreman said he and Hemingway have talked about a bike patrol since the chief joined the department earlier this year. Hemingway said putting together this unit has been personal to him as he was one of the first bike cops in South Florida in 1994 and has experience with its effectiveness for both community engagement and crime prevention efforts.
Foreman went to community businesses looking to secure a grant to fund the unit. Doug Stemple of Classic Homes and a grant from Classic Homes and Challenger Homes made it possible to fund four bicycle patrol officers.
“[Classic and Challenger] are a large part of this community and we appreciate their support of our police department and our goals for 2021,” Foreman said.
Hemingway said he can’t think of a greater opportunity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, to reassure the community the department is hearing its needs.
“We are continuing to build relationships between this great police department and this amazing community. It’s a great marriage already,” he said.
The bike unit is intended to patrol parks, trails, schools, neighborhoods, shopping centers and the downtown district. The unit launched Dec. 8 with two officers, James Wader and Andrew Romano, who were also on hand to demonstrate the bikes. The unit is under the command of Sgt. Mark Owens. It is planned to expand to four officers and eventually, as funding allows, every officer on patrol will have a cruiser with a bike mounted on it, Hemingway said. The bikes are not intended to replace cruiser patrol.
However, the unit wasn’t only created for uniformed patrol.
“You may see them in tactical undercover roles,” Hemingway said. “If we see a crime trend appear in a neighborhood and overall quality of life issues then we are ready to tackle this need. The bad guys will feel these officers tapping them on their shoulders addressing crime issues.”
Romano and Wader received specialized training from the International Police Mountain Bike Association Training Program in Castle Rock.
Hemingway said officers will not be “voluntold” to participate in the new patrol unit.
“That’s not what I want,” the chief said. “These officers are committed to this unit and believe in this. That’s the type of engagement I want in the community.”
During the event, Mayor Don Wilson presented Kim Sandoval, director of corporate marketing for Classic Homes, with a certificate of appreciation and Hemingway presented her with a Town of Monument challenge coin. The same was presented to Austin Roff, senior sales director of Challenger Homes, and Lisa Sabell, marketing coordinator for Challenger Homes.
Sandoval said the program was very important to the CEO of the company, when he brought it to the Classic Homes leadership team inquiring if it was something the company could work out from a grant standpoint. Unanimously the team said “Yes,” she said.
“Monument is one of our flagship communities and has been, and for the amount of money to get these guys these bikes and get to it, it meant a lot to the whole team,” Sandoval said.
Hemingway said the unit is another arm of the department’s “Windows Down Movement,” patrolling not only with cruisers but also on foot and now bicycles.
“We want to make sure we are policing this community based on the expectations of this community,” he said.