Crime & Safety

Bike Police Officers Reflect On A Year Of Patrolling On 2 Wheels

Cleveland Heights Police officers say families have told them they feel safer in parks.

Police Officer Larry Rieck said Cleveland Heights residents have told him they feel safer in now that he and three other officers are patrolling the area on bikes.

“Families who said they haven’t come to the park in years are back … families feel safe here because the bike patrol unit has been formed,” said Rieck. “That credit goes toward (Chief Jeffrey Robertson,) who created this very valuable asset.”

Robertson a year ago to help make Cain, , and parks safer, but there were other reasons, too.

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“Our guys are out there meeting the public one on one, talking to the kids. It’s a lot easier, as I’ve said, for a resident to approach a bicycle officer than a policeman in a car,” . “A car is a little bit of an intimidator you might say.”

Scott Sedlock, another officer who moved from a patrol car to a bike, confirmed this.

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“People have told me they feel police are more approachable in the bikes than in the cars,” he said.

They keep “Cleveland Heights Junior Police” badges and kids coloring books about strangers and bullying with them, too. They’ve also visited Cleveland Heights-University Heights City Schools to talk about bike safety.

Officers can approach suspects more stealthily than a police car with sirens can, Reick said, and it’s easier to chase people running on foot.

“People are not expecting these to show up,” he said, pointing to the $1,200 bikes officers use that are quieter than traditional bikes. “We can go more places than a car can.”

There are now four officers on bikes — Rieck, Sedlock, Brandon Reichard and Roger Gibon — and two others will join soon. In addition to the parks, officers patrol business districts like Coventry Village. They ride about 10 to 20 miles a day and can get up to 30 mph.

The officers, who were in the traffic division, interviewed for the program and were selected to complete a weeklong training in Delaware, OH, which costs $275 per officer. Rieck and Reichard started in May 2011, and Sedlock and Gibon began biking in October.

Senior Investigator Quintero Mack said criminal activity has decreased since they began.

“They’ve made an impact like never before in Cain Park.”


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