New Hope Police Revive Bicycle Patrols
New Hope Police Officer Tom Lesnikowski has been in his current post for about three years, and he said, without a doubt, meeting people is his favorite part of the job.
New Hope Police Officer Tom Lesnikowski on his department-issued bicycle. He is one of eight city officers part of a revived bicycle patrol unit.
“It’s most of what our job is about,” Officer Lesnikowski said. “I’m a very social person, in general, so getting out there, talking to people, just engaging with them, is what it’s all about.”
Often, the squad he relies on as his “office on wheels” can be a detriment to meeting people where they are whether they have a question or want to speak to an officer for any reason.
“We’re in (squads) for hours and hours and hours a day,” he said. “But when you roll up on someone and they just want to talk to you or ask a question, and you’re sitting in your car and they’re standing on the sidewalk, and they just want to talk, but you have that huge metal barrier between the both of you, it’s kind of hard to engage.”
So when New Hope Police Department officials decided to re-start the agency’s long-dormant bicycle patrol unit, Lesnikowski jumped at the chance.
“It’s super-nice to be able to get out of your squad car, grab your bike, and go,” he said. “Strip malls, neighborhoods, apartment complexes–it doesn’t matter.”
Six officers and two sergeants make up the unit, which appeared at several community events this summer and participated in targeted patrols of areas where squads aren’t able to easily access.
New Hope Police Officer Tom Lesnikowski on his department-issued bicycle. He is one of eight city officers part of a revived bicycle patrol unit.
“A lot of these parks and trials are not accessible by squad car, and it doesn’t look great driving a squad car in the grass,” said Lesnikowski. “Being able to interact with people is super-convenient and super-effective, too.”
It also helps keep him and his fellow officers in better shape.
“We’re not a super-big city,” he said with a big smile. “Five square miles gets to you pretty quick.”
