Wrens P.D. adds bicycles to patrol fleet
Wrens Chief Jamey Kitchens and Lt. Lee Goode pose with WPD’s new patrol bicycles.
By Parish Howard, the Augusta Chronicle, October 25, 2019
With Halloween and other events coming that will bring crowds of pedestrians out on city streets, Wrens citizens can expect to see police officers using new equipment to patrol.
Police Chief Jamey Kitchens recently added five patrol bicycles to his fleet of vehicles. Two are brand new and were purchased from Andy Jordan’s Bicycle Warehouse in Augusta with the $2,100 raised during a recent raffle for a custom built cooler caddy. Three others were donated from another Augusta-area law enforcement agency.
The new bikes are 21-speed bikes with 29-inch tires and aluminum frames.
“I think Wrens is a perfect community to have a bike patrol,” Kitchens said. “We have traffic but I’m not worried about my guys zipping in and out like I would on Washington Road (in Augusta).”
Not only does Kitchens plan to use the bikes during special holidays like Halloween and events like the city’s Christmas parade and tree lighting, but he plans to implement them into regular patrols as well.
“We’ve been told they make officers more approachable. You aren’t riding by (in a patrol car) at 25 mph with your windows up. It lets us get out and get more personal and one-on-one with folks,” Kitchens said. “And from a tactical standpoint you’d be surprised the number of people you can ride up on with a bicycle who are programmed to look for a patrol car.”
The department is currently waiting for delivery of the safety helmets it ordered, but the chief said citizens can expect to see officers patrolling on two wheels within the week.
“We’re putting bike racks on the cars, so if they are going to ride the Russell Street area, they can pull up over here at the Methodist Church, leave their car there and ride all around. If they have to get back to their car because they have to get to a wreck or something, they won’t be that far from it (their patrol car),” Kitchens said. “It’s another tool we can use and the biggest thing is it didn’t cost us anything.”