Crime & Safety
Clawson Police Continue Bike Patrol This Summer
With warmer weather in full swing, the Clawson Police Department Bike Patrol is back in action, as officers scour the city's streets on the mountain bikes.
You may have seen him riding around town. Perhaps you waved or even stopped to say 'hello.'
For Officer Jacob Shearer, patrolling the city on a mountain bike has become one of his favorite parts of the job.
“It’s a much more approachable form of transportation,” said Shearer, 23, who has been a Clawson police officer since 2010. “When I’m in a car, people will just wave, but on the bike, it’s a lot easier for them to flag me down; it makes us much more open to the community.”
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Shearer, along with seven other officers including Chief Harry Anderson, currently make up the Clawson Police Department Bike Patrol. The department incorporated the patrol unit into its force in 1993, originally designating it to officers working overtime. However, due to budget cuts in recent years, the program is now reserved for those who demonstrate an interest in riding.
Officers are required to attend a week-long training session through the Law Enforcement Bicycle Association, taught by Sgt. Aaron Burgess of the Sterling Heights Police Department. Through this physically-demanding preparation course, the officers not only learn how to ride effectively but also properly, in order to minimize injury.
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Patrolling the streets on a bicycle has its fair share of advantages too.
“Our bike officers have discovered individuals while they were spray painting graffiti, and using controlled substances,” Chief Anderson said. “People are not expecting to see a police officer on a bicycle.”
The bike also allows citizens to approach an officer and report any wrongdoings that they might suspect in their neighborhood. Police say bike patrol not only greatly benefits the community, but also the police department in keeping the city of Clawson safe.
While officers, such as Shearer, use the bicycles for about half of their shift duration, they must still be available for calls using the quickest form of transportation— a patrol vehicle.
The police officers can be seen on their bikes around town in the summer months.
“It’s another way of being able to communicate with the residents and businesses,” Shearer said of the program. “It really does benefit everyone.”
