Wheels On Patrol
Bike Police Are Now Rolling Throughout Yankton
By Cora Van Olson, Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan, yankton.net, July 31, 2023
Photo: Yankton Police Commander Monty Rothenberger with one of the department’s new electric bicycles that the city officials hope will help patrol areas that patrol cars can’t reach and also connect with members of the community. Kelly Hertz/P&D
Yankton police officers are hitting the trails and parks on patrol bikes — and encouraging a new kind of positive interaction with residents.
“Currently we have three people that are trained and two bikes,” Yankton Police Chief Jason Foote told the Press & Dakotan. “They share the bikes. You might see two people out together once in a while, but sometimes, it might just be one officer out on a bike somewhere.”
The Yankton Police Department (YPD) recently invested in two pedal-assist bicycles specifically designed for law enforcement. The bikes are also equipped with headlights and taillights for use at night and can reach speeds of up to 28 miles with the pedal-assist feature, he said.
“That was one of the keys with the bike, that you want to be able to get places,” Foote said. “We’re not a flat town. There are hills everywhere.”
Also, an officer who chases a suspect on the bike and then has to wrestle with that individual should not be exhausted from the pursuit, he said.
When on the roadways, police bikes follow the traffic laws like any other vehicle, but bikes aren’t limited to the roads.
“They can patrol in areas that we can’t get to with patrol cars,” Foote said. “So, they hit the trails a lot in the parks. They go down to Riverside Park and Memorial Park. Marne Creek will be a huge one.”
Police hope to curb vandalism on the trails, but they are also hoping that bike patrols can help deal with vehicle entries and burglaries that happen at night, he said.
Also, bicycles offer police the opportunity to get back in touch with the community, like police who walked a beat historically were.
“Just making contact with the public is a lot easier because you’re more approachable out on a bike than you are in a patrol car,” he said. “They can go to areas where there’s kids to make contact and hand out stickers,” he said, referring to the free-ice-cream cards officers give young riders found wearing bicycle helmets.
Though officers have only recently started patrolling on bikes, they have gained a lot of positive attention, Foote said.
“You get a lot of comments,” he said. “We have a lot of people that just enjoy seeing us out on a bike. It’s good to see that the public’s noticing.”
It’s also good for officers who get to see things from a different perspective — not from a patrol car, Foote said, adding that the department wanted to connect with the community, especially its youth.
“(We’re) getting out in places where there are a lot of kids and just making that connection, that we’re not the bad guy. We’re not coming out to arrest you all the time,” Foote said. “We’re there to help you when you need help and assist you in any way we can.”
Hopefully, that link to individuals in the community could spark interest in working locally in law enforcement, he said.
“One of the first days that I rode (the bike), there was a couple pushing a stroller with their young child,” Foote said. “They probably weren’t our normal supporters, but they really supported and enjoyed seeing us on the on the bikes.”
Also, officers have had positive interactions while taking calls with those making the violations, he said.
“Commander (Monty) Rothenberger and I talked to an individual that we’ve known over the years, and he sees that we have bikes and he thought that was pretty awesome,” Foote said.