The Pawtucket Police Department will be launching the Bicycle Patrol again this year to starting this week and will continue through October.
The Bicycle Patrol program enables officers to be more present in Pawtucket’s neighborhoods. The patrols are conducted at a slower rate of travel and allows for officers to be more observant with less distractions than while operating a police cruiser vehicle, which also allows for more direct contact and interactions with residents.
The Bicycle Patrol initiative will consist of two officers who are assigned based on calls for service through a more targeted community effort. In addition to their regular duties, the Bicycle Patrol is able to effectively deploy officers based on calls that come into the department for issues such as crowds gathering and noise disturbances. Based on weather restrictions and circumstances, the officers on bicycles may be on motorcycles or in vehicles.
“We are happy to be out in the community with residents being more active after the pandemic,” stated Acting Public Safety Director and Chief Tina Goncalves. “We want to let residents know that they can call us whenever there is an issue and that we will be out here in the community to help protect you through these community-based approaches.”
“After the past year, we look forward to having our Police Department Bicycle Patrol back out in the community,” said Community Liaison Kassandra Florez. “The Bicycle Patrol is an important part of the continued approach to better serve our residents and interact with them more.”
The City of Pawtucket hopes that with increased patrol presence that is accessible, and in light of the recent tragic incidents of this past weekend, residents will feel comfortable speaking with these patrol officers.
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