Two Rivers residents can expect to see increased police bike patrols this year.
Two Rivers Police Captain Andrew Raatz said on WOMT’s Be My Guest program that, this spring and summer, the department will focus on getting bike patrols back out on trails, streets, and by the beach after numerous years of decreased activity.
The patrol used to be more active, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a lack of staffing, the program stopped.
Captain Raatz explained the benefits of having bike patrols in the community, including newly acquired E-bikes.
“It provides such a unique element to our operations where you have more community interaction when you’re on a bike, which is nice, and there are areas you can get to that you can’t get to with a squad card,” he explained. “With the E-bikes, an officer can get to a call at a relative distance without being tired out when they get there.”
The E-bikes were debuted last year after funding was made available thanks to a grant from Wisconsin Public Service as well as a generous donation from Louann Smith, a Two Rivers resident.
“We got some grant money, both through a grant and also through a donation and we were able to get three E-bikes,” he revealed. “So, we got on those on the road a little bit last year, but we were pretty short-staffed for a while, so it was hard to get them out.”
As the police Department’s patrol unit is now fully staffed, both bike and E-bike patrols will be increased after the community expressed its desire to see them return.
Two Rivers residents can now expect to see more officers out on bike patrol on the city’s trails, on the beach, and at other community events and festivals.
To hear more from Captain Raatz on bike patrols, upcoming Memorial Day celebrations, and more, the full episode of the Be My Guest program can be found by visiting SeehaferPodcasts.com.
