Round Lake Bike Patrol Debuts

This fiscal year we have a new addition to the police fleet, bikes! The story of how we got them, reflects the changing environment of the police department. Officer Vanessa Whitten (smiling in the picture) and Officer Jon Zacharias mentioned to the command staff how they thought that a bike patrol would be highly effective in Round Lake.

They researched the idea and submited a formal proposal (including the cost of the program) before the budget process started. These officers did a fine job and their proposal was approved by the police administration and ultimately by the Village Board.

An important component of the officer’s proposal included the reasons why the police department should have a bike patrol. The officers stressed making positive connections with the residents by getting out of the squad cars and seeming more approachable to the residents. The officers also stressed how easy it would be to patrol a festival or downtown area without drawing a lot of attention to themselves and in a stealthly manner.

You might have seen Officer Whitten at the National Night Out event on one of the new bikes. Some of the officers ride recreationally and are looking forward to attending upcoming training to be a bike patrol officer. Keep your eye out as this is a program that the police department will be expanding in the future.