The Iola Police Department is dusting off some barely used equipment in order to better connect with the community.
The equipment — a pair of 26-inch, 24-speed Trek road bicycles — has been a part of the department’s arsenal of patrol vehicles for several years, “before my time here,” noted Chief of Police Jared Warner.
Spurred in part by the citywide effort to get more Iolans out and about on bikes, Warner found two officers — Mike Aronson and Brian Plumlee — willing to earn certification to partake in the occasional bike patrol.
Both recently completed the 40-hour course, which tested them on everything from physical fitness to the proper way to dismount a bike during a pursuit.
“You think you know how to ride a bike until you take that course,” Aronson said. “There’s so much more to learn.”
The bicycles should be an invaluable tool in terms of community outreach, Warner said, with youngsters more apt to approach an officer if he’s on two wheels as opposed to riding in his patrol car.
It’s enjoyable for the officers, too, Aronson said. “I’d rather be on this than in my car today.”
The bikes will be used sparingly, Warner said, such as during community events or when activities are going on at Iola’s Riverside Park.
He’ll also only dispatch the bikes when staffing permits.
When fully staffed, each day’s shift has three officers on duty, Warner noted, to ensure a pair of patrol cars still can be summoned at a moment’s notice.
THE PHYSICAL fitness aspect cannot be overstated, Plumlee and Aronson said.
Part of the training dealt with officers maintaining proper pace when summoned to a call.
If they exert all of their energy riding bikes, they’ll have none left over by the time they arrive at a call.
“Try riding a bike as hard as you can for about five minutes, then jump off and start running,” Aronson said. “Your legs just lock up, and you can’t do anything.”
These are more than just leisurely bike rides, the officers noted.
For one thing, each officers still wears his belt, loaded with 30 pounds of accessories. The bike also has a container for other equipment.
