Cochrane officers are currently in training for the mountain bike patrol program.
“It is nice to get out of the car and it is amazing what you see and run into on the bike,” said Sgt. Jeff Campbell, Cochrane RCMP.
The five-day, 40-hour week intensive course teaches officers how to dismount, slow ride, manoeuvre up and down stairs, and how to handle different obstacles safely.
“Once we are done anything we can do in a car, we can do on a bike, it just takes us a little longer,” Campbell said with a laugh.
After training is completed, the bike patrol program will roll out in June. In addition to patrolling pedestrian traffic, bike patrol officers can also respond to calls and even do traffic control, but the officers will mainly be focusing on the pedestrian-busy areas including paths and trails throughout the town.
“There are more people on the pathways in the summer, and we have gotten complaints in the past of issues on paths or at the skate park,” Campbell said.
Having two wheels also allows more access in heavily congested areas.
“Even the downtown Cochrane core can get really congested and it can be easier to access a situation or respond to a report with the mountain bike patrol when you are not trying to go through traffic,” Campbell said.
The RCMP will be working in partnership with the town’s peace officers. Patrolling officers will ride in pairs during the days and evenings with two RCMP officers or an RCMP officer and a peace officer, as safety is always a priority, Campbell explained.
And the biggest perk of two-wheeling is the perception from the public.
“You still get a few jokes but people find the RCMP more approachable when we are on bikes,” Campbell said.
“It is great, people come up to me and say they want my job.”
So keep an eye out for RCMP officers rolling out later this summer.
