Beckley Police Roll Out Bike Patrols

The Beckley Police Department is rolling out a new set of bike patrols in an effort to keep improving relations between the department and the community.

Beckley Police Chief Lonnie Christian tells the Register-Herald that it had been about 15 years since the department had bike patrols. He believes the bike patrols ended because people didn’t see the benefits the patrols bring.

Christian says it can be hard for officers to interact with the public while inside a patrol vehicle. He hopes the bike patrols will encourage officers and the public to interact more.

The addition of bike patrols, he says, is another mark of the department trying to be more proactive instead of reactive with the community.

Another benefit is that the bicycles can go down alleyways and other areas that cars usually can’t reach.