DANVILLE, Va. – Danville Police Department Officer Nick Pickrel is one of about a half-dozen officers currently certified to ride bikes while patrolling Danville's streets.Â
"We've had a great time, really positive interactions. Everybody we see on the street is always hollering out to the bike patrol and waiving at us and stopping us, wanting to talk," Pickrel said.
Pedaling out crime is the department's latest initiative.
"People are going to come up and tell you their problems. This gives us another delivery method for patrol officers and just a way for us to connect and problem-solve," Danville Police Chief Scott Booth said.
Booth believes this is something the department has needed for a while.
"We're problem-based. We have beats that cover every area of the city 24/7. There are some areas that might experience some different challenges, so some of those bike officers might be working in our more challenging areas. Sometimes, we'll deploy them where we just want some extra visibility," Booth explained.
Pickrel said he's confident that interaction will help strengthen the relationship between officers and community members.
"They want to talk to you about their problems or things they're seeing in the area, or they just want to ask questions about the bike. That's where everything starts. You've got to get your foot in the door," he said.
The department eventually hopes to have almost every officer certified to fight crime on two wheels.
The bikes were purchased with a state grant from the Department of Criminal Justice Services.