No Emporia Police Officer has manned the bike patrol unit since July, said Police Chief Gary Smith.
At the same time, property vandalism has increased downtown, Smith said.
“The unit exists, but there is no one in it because we don’t have the staffing to fill it right now,” he said. “Once we get everybody hired, probably toward the end of this year, maybe by October ... we maybe can get it back up.”
Smith said when he had 41 officers in 2011, he had to put the officers from the biker unit into car patrols because he did not have enough police to cover the regular shifts. The bike unit used to have enough officers to staff four all the time.
“But we haven’t been able to do that since 2008,” he said.
The bike unit’s primary focus was the downtown area around the university, Smith said.
“They basically have a call just like everybody else does,” he said. “They are just on a bicycle instead.
“We also use them if we are like having problems with vandalism in some part of town or car break-ins, something like that. A lot of times we would put them out in those areas to see if they can catch somebody.”
Sharon Ewing, the owner of Designs by Sharon, said as a business owner, she is very concerned about not having the bike unit.
“We lost a big, big asset to our downtown to help protect us,” Ewing said.
She said the bike police officers can sneak up on people.
“You can see those white cars coming,” Ewing said. “... You don’t see those bicycle cops ... until they are right there. .... I think they cut down on a lot of crime.”
Designs by Sharon is a florist at 703 Commercial St., which is north of Natasha’s Billiards & Lounge at 627 Commercial. Ewing’s shop is also next to a bar, at 707 Commercial, that she said is about to open back up after being closed for a year.
She said she gave permission to the bike officers to stake out the bars from her outside foyer, and they caught drunks getting in their cars, underage drinkers and people who had open containers.
“I have these big planter pillars that I’ve had outside, one was knocked over completely,” Ewing said. “They pulled down a banner that I had because the drunks were swinging on it.
“... I found bottles and stuff in this back alley. On an average Monday, I bet there is a dozen bottles or beer cans in this parking lot in the back.”
When the bike patrol was out there, it did an excellent job, she said. When the temperature gets warmer in the spring and the summer, bringing back the unit in the fall is not going to help.
“My concern is that they spend all that money for gas (on cars),” Ewing said. “They don’t have to spend any gas money for bicycles.”
She said she saw the bike unit riding in the Christmas Parade, and she thinks many citizens think the biker officers are still patrolling the city.
“All the citizens and taxpayers need to know why we are not seeing them,” Ewing said.
The visibility of a car still helps with deterrence, said Casey Woods, the executive director of Emporia Main Street. Although, the bike officers can also help deter and catch people in the act.
“I think probably their biggest asset being on a bike, they are able to interact with people easier,” Woods said. “When you have additional staff that is able to get out in the public and communicate with business owners or people in neighborhoods that allows you to deter crime or identify crime before it becomes rampant or more pervasive in an area.
“So there are some advantages to that mode of travel, but there are some advantages to just having a police force that has the staffing level that allows you to get out into the community, period.”
booker5m (anonymous) says...
Police dept should do like the sheriff dept and have reserves or trained vollenteers
January 30, 2012 at 3:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
slimbolen99 (anonymous) says...
Maybe the rocks or new ball fields will fill in on the bikes until they can get some officers hired.
January 30, 2012 at 5:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JAM (anonymous) says...
I was in Emporia for 5 days and saw only one police car the entire time . The crime is high in Emporia, considering the size of the town and the population, and it isn't being controlled. Thugs are taking it over and if the police keep doing nothing, they will never get control after it is too late. It is very close to that now. If Emporia residents would get involved as a community and all stand together and create a no tolerance to crime stance, Emporia would be a safe and happy community. The community isn't doing that. They will regret it when it is too late.
January 30, 2012 at 5:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dml (anonymous) says...
Get trained and get your concealed carry license. When you need help right now and seconds count, the police are only minutes away. I am not saying that to be condescending to police; they do the best they can and if they knew where a crime was going to take place, they would be there in full force to stop it, but that is not how criminals work.
January 30, 2012 at 6:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
railroadhorn (anonymous) says...
I'm not as upset about this when you consider how much we've lost in population and property values. Then you open up the Gazette classifieds and see a Topeka bakery looking for workers (probably trying to get them from Hostess) and from that bankruptcy mess who knows how many workers we may still lose? If you're not going to get your pension you're going to move on. I bet if a business next to a bar posts a security camera that some of that stuff may stop. I think we're all going to have to do more with fewer cops - better safe keeping our properties. Better neighborhood watches. Once a community starts losing population all kinds of bad stuff starts happening.
January 30, 2012 at 7:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
booker5m (anonymous) says...
Best to learn to depend on your self
January 30, 2012 at 7:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
We got along for years when there were no bike cops, the cops need to not sweat the small stuff and focus on what it important.
January 30, 2012 at 8:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
One bike cop at bar closing time would work, they do have radios to call for back up. Or just park a police car in the middle of the intersection at 7th and commercial with it's lights on at 2:00 a.m.
Some of this falls on the bar owners and their staffs.
The beer cans and bottles could and most likely are coming from the parked cars.
It is illegal to carry a drink or beer out of a bar. The owners can be sited and fined by the abc if they allow it.
The younger bar owners need to step up. You are a downtown business and your customers affect your neighbors.
Post a doorman or security with a phone outside at closing to watch for trouble. Put in a camera system, they are not that expensive for the money you are bringing in. Have your cleanng people clean up trash outside your club, it doesn't take that long.
(preferably before the morning businessess open up.)
We want to keep the college age students here in town and I know it's hard to herd a bunch of loaded kids at closing time, but we all need to do a better job of working with our neighbors downtown.
That hog fence around the downtown adopted garden should be a clue guys!
January 30, 2012 at 8:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Don't take my above the wrong way. It's not just the bars.
ALL OF THE DOWNTOWN MERCHANTS could do a little more.
It would be a shame to see iron gates across the fronts of stores that are seen in big cities. That's not what Emporia is about.
January 31, 2012 at 5:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
trainrech (anonymous) says...
Seems to me the bike patrol would be a cost savings to the city, while still providing effective coverage of the downtown and surrounding areas. So why not park a car or two?
January 31, 2012 at 6:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mslater (Matt Slater) says...
I wonder how many bicycle patrols you could get for $375k/ year. I know exactly where the money could come from (RDA/CVB)
;-)
Matt
PS- The award handed out at the Chamber Dinner for the entrance stones is really sharp looking! Email me if you'd like to see it.
January 31, 2012 at 6:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Matt,
Updated your address yet on voter registration?
January 31, 2012 at 7:25 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
booker5m (anonymous) says...
Matt would like to see the photo but dont see your email?
January 31, 2012 at 7:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
It may be time for our commissioners to sit down with Zimmerman and Smith and have a frank talk. Let's get at least one bike officer back downtown and park one of those new cars. Our population has gone down, and that means city departments will have to do with less. Let's quit basing needs and WANTS on The city of Emporia of 10 years ago.
January 31, 2012 at 7:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )