Police To Implement Bicycle Patrols

By RYAN BRAY, September 18, 2015, capenews.net

Mashpee Police Department will begin trying out bicycle patrols in the coming weeks in hopes of assigning officers to the posts permanently this spring.

Mashpee Police Chief Scott W. Carline said he has talked to officers in the department to see who would be interested in working the bicycle patrols. In the coming weeks, the department will institute a trial period for officers to begin patrolling parts of town on bicycles, he said.

Four bicycles were recently refurbished at Bike Zone in Hyannis, Chief Carline said. Among the areas identified for bicycle patrol will be Mashpee Commons, which the chief said attracted stronger foot traffic this summer, as well as New Seabury and South Cape Village.

Police also will use bicycles to patrol the Spit, where underage drinking has become a growing issue.

"It's become an increasingly busy summer in that area in terms of underage drinking," Chief Carline said. "[Bicycle patrols] could be a very effective tool to address some of those issues."

Bicycle patrols are not new to the department. However, Chief Carline said it has been many years since the department has assigned officers to bicycles.

In addition to providing an added dimension to the department's policing, the bicycle patrols are designed to strengthen the department's relationship with Mashpee residents. He said that public relations and the ability to interact well with residents will be a priority for officers working bicycle patrol.

"It's a community policing initiative," he said.

Chief Carline said by April, anywhere from eight to 12 officers in the department will split time between bicycle and cruiser patrols, with four officers working on bikes each day in shifts of two

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