Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 22, 1993 TAG: 9307220037
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"That's what we need," quipped one of the officers, who like Clingenpeel was a member of the city's walking patrol called Community Oriented Policing Effort or COPE.
But Clingenpeel did more than chuckle at his Officers volunteer for horse patrols. A2. colleague. He recommended city officers start using bikes.
"I thought it would be a good idea," he said. "I didn't think it would be approved."
He was wrong.
Later this year, two city officers will mount bicycles and go on patrol. The city has spent just over $1,000 on the two heavy-duty mountain bikes.
Clingenpeel wanted to make sure that using the bikes would not interrupt COPE's essential mission: That is, get police officers out of the car and talking to the people they serve.
At first, he had little idea where to go for information. There were no books on the subject, so he ended up at the library looking for magazine article on cops and bikes.
His research yielded leads to police departments in Dallas and Seattle, which had pioneered the concept of a biking police patrol.
Soon, the two departments sent Clingenpeel a stack of literature.
He was struck by how police on bikes maintained many of the advantages of police on foot patrol, while speeding response times.
"It fit right in with the COPE concept here," Clingenpeel said. "They were using it in areas where they were primarily using foot patrol."
The advantages over standard car patrols were obvious. Bicycles could fit in the nooks and crannies of buildings and ride along sidewalks where cars could never go.
The bikes are also silent, allowing officers to move swiftly in reacting to crime.
The mobility of the bikes seemed to fit with COPE's current assignments - to provide a highly visible presence in neighborhoods around the Lincoln Terrace and Hurt Park housing projects. The bicycles also would allow COPE officers to continue to be accessible to residents.
"It doesn't put a door between you and the public," said Clingenpeel, who will join James Fazio, a seven-year department veteran, on the pedal patrol.
"I like the idea of a new concept, just like when I joined COPE two years ago," Fazio said.
Already, he's thinking about how the bicycles can serve as a bond with the people in the community.
"I think the biggest thing is going to be with the kids," he said. "It gives us something in common to talk about."
Fazio knows he may be in for a little ribbing from other police officers unaccustomed to seeing street cops on the two-wheelers - or attired in shorts.
"I'm sure some of the officers will get a little cackle out of this," he said. "I'm not all that worried."
Fazio said change is inevitable in police departments with a future.
"If you see the department progressing, it gives you a sense of self-esteem," he said. "It's a matter of learning as you go. If you're stale at one thing then you move in another direction. It's like starting a new job."
That new job will require Clingenpeel and Fazio to learn a whole new set of skills and learn the advantages of new equipment.
The mountain bikes they will use will be equipped with canvas bags for their tickets and other paperwork. Two bottles of water will be strapped to the side.
Splash guards are essential to keep the officers from getting muddy.
And while the two officers contemplate their new way of doing business and the months of training it will require, Fazio remains confident the bike patrol will be effective.
"That's what adds spice to life," he said. "We'll be able to prove to a lot of people what we can do with them."
by CNB