Wallingford police begin bike patrols
By Eric Vo, Record-Journal staff, October 18, 2015
WALLINGFORD — The police department began bike patrols last week, with officers riding during the morning, evening and overnight shifts.
Four police officers recently completed a 40-hour training program with West Hartford police. Officer Coleman Turner said they learned the basics of the bike, such as clipping in and out of the pedals, and rode over a variety of terrain. Officer Tim Binkoski added that the training taught them how to use the bicycles as barriers.
The four officers will cover different areas, with a focus on the center of town, according to Police Chief William Wright. Officers will park their cars and use the bikes to patrol.
“We carefully selected officers that are not only fit to perform the task, but have a sense about community relations,” Wright said. “The police officer is certainly more approachable. They’re riding the bike in an area and can get off and interact more easily with the shoppers in the uptown or downtown area.”
From an enforcement aspect, Wright added, the bicycle has “stealth attributes.” An officer can access smaller areas than with a cruiser, he said.
Wright hopes to expand the program by purchasing additional bikes and training six more officers, but funding is a potential holdup. The mountain bikes, which were purchased at a bike shop in Berlin, cost about $850. In August, the police department received adonation from Evonik Corp., 528 Cherry St., which was used to purchase four bicycles.
Wright said officers with the West Hartford police bicycle unit only use bikes during a shift.
“Ultimately, it would be a great place for us to get to for a lot of reasons,” Wright said. “Certainly, distribution of resources become critical; right now, I need them to have access to their cars.”
Representatives from Evonik were at the police department last week to see the officers using the bicycles and to learn more about the training and program.
As Turner and Binkoski resumed their patrols, they clipped into the bike pedals and headed down Church Street.
“It’s like the first day of school,” Turner said.