Police pedaling goodwill

Wisconsin Dells Police Department has a new tool to help enforce the law. A 2004 TREK Police Model bicycle will help the department serve the area better, the bike patrol coordinator, Officer Jesse Weaver, said.

"This, I think, is a wonderful community policing tool," Weaver said, explaining how studies show people are more comfortable approaching an officer on a bike than one in a squad car or on a motorcycle. "They see it as a very non-threatening and friendly (setting)."


The bike, valued at $770, was bought with the money raised at the Dells Area Cyclists' Tour de Dells bike race, sponsored by Moosejaw Pizza and put on earlier this year.

Moosejaw Group Sales & Promotions Director Jillian Murphy, who coordinates the bike race with Dells Area Cyclists Joan Fordham, Maureen Murphy-Greenwood, and Chris Gabrielson, said $6,915 was raised at the event which 289 bikers participated.

Other donations went to the Hope for Haiti Medical Mission.

Murphy said the group gave the money to the police department because the bike is a "great cause" and because they helped determined the race's route.

Weaver said the Police Association funded $600 more to buy lights and extra equipment for the bike, which should help the department in several ways.

For example, a bike can be beneficial in responding to calls, he said, "especially with the …traffic."

The officer, who puts on about 25 miles during an average shift, has been able to respond faster in some parts of the city than a squad car.

He said the bike is also useful to come up on people in "stealth mode".

"People don't expect a police officer on a bike," he said. "We just happen to roll right in the middle of things before (people) realize it's a cop."

But that doesn't mean the bike can't be noticed when an officer wants it to be, as it has a siren of 110 decibels while a squad's is only 85. In all other aspects though, "it's the same thing as a squad car, Weaver said. This means that people still have to get out of the officer's way and pull over for him.

Weaver has completed a week of training that teaches "tactical" uses of the bike, like dismounting into a sprint, going up and down stairs, emergency braking and using the bike as a defense between the officer and suspect. Weaver said the department hopes to send more officers to the training next year.

The program, which officers have been pushing for the last several years, is run off of donations. Anyone interested in donating can contact Weaver at 608-253-1611.