Munroe Falls Police Bicycle Patrol News
by Jeff Saunders, the Stow Sentry, February 15, 2015,
Last year, the department purchased two bicycles, with a third bike donated by Parks and Recreation Board member Randy Worthington, to start a bike patrol in the neighborhoods and now has an officer who is a "professional bike trainer." [Chief Tom] Pozza said plans are in the works for the city to host a bike patrol training course, which area police departments will be invited to take part in this summer, as well as a "bike rodeo" to help teach children bike safety. He also said he expects that city police officers will be on the bikes at both the annual River Day at Brust Park in May and in the Fourth of July parade in Stow.
"It's my hope that this year, we'll have a more active bike patrol," said Pozza.
Pozza said that bike patrols are an effective law enforcement measure.
"You can really sneak up on someone on a bike," he said, adding however that it is "mostly a PR tool."
He said that the patrols are "mostly in the daytime, the afternoon, when people are out, kids are out. When there's interaction."