Bike Patrol

Bike patrols are rapidly expanding across the United States where increasing numbers of police agencies are using bikes as an important new law enforcement tool.

Presently the Holmdel Police Bike Patrol consists of six officers, and six specially outfitted bicycles.  One of these bikes was donated to the Department in June 2000 by the Neumann Foundation (a non-profit organization established in memory of fallen Police Officer Keith Neumann, who was killed in the line of duty in 1989). 

Officers are trained in police bicycle procedures and tactics.  When weather permits, they patrol the shopping centers of the Township, to include the Towne Center, Kohl’s Plaza, and the new Commons, in addition to town house and condominium complexes. 

The bicycle officer has increased the department’s mobility by routinely patrolling areas not covered by vehicles or foot patrols.  Due to the speed and mobility of the bike, the officers cover 4-6 times the area as a foot patrol officer.  The bicycle officer is able to see and hear more than an officer in a patrol vehicle since the officer is in the open, and not surrounded by the enclosed vehicle.  The bike officer is able to respond to calls very quickly, and in many cases, the bicycle officer can usually make it to a call sooner than officers in a vehicle.  The bicycle patrol is able to respond to emergencies quickly when large crowds or traffic congestion may cause problems for vehicles.

The bicycle is very effective during special events such as walk-a-thons, parades, graduations, running races, and other outdoor special events.  These events are normally congested, giving the bicycle officer the mobility to respond to calls.  The bicycle officer can be on roadways and in parking areas providing preventive patrol, and is still only seconds from the event if needed for a call.

The role of the Police Bicycle Patrol in Holmdel Township has taken on a new area of responsibility and meaning within our Police Department.  If is our endeavor that the bicycle patrol’s initiative will assist us in our Community Policing efforts to serve the Holmdel residents to the best of our ability.