Spokane Police training 30 officers to expand its bike unit

October 7, 2020 5:06 PM

Nikki Torres,

Posted: October 7, 2020 5:06 PM

by Nikki Torres

SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Police is expanding its bike patrol unit. Officers riding bikes can be beneficial for cities – like Spokane – during crowd control, especially protests.

There are about 30 Spokane Police officers training on bikes. Though, this isn’t like when your mom or dad took you to the park without your training wheels on. These officers are learning tactical skills, as well as how to use their bike as a defensive tool.

That means learning how to make quick turns, in case of aggressive traffic on the job. It also means knowing how to fight defensively on their wheels.

“We may be protecting something, we may be protecting someone, it can be any of those things. But that fence line is designed to keep them on one side and keep protesters who may want to hurt us or somebody else or anything that we’re protecting on the other side,” said Ofc. Mark Brownell, Spokane Police Department.

While the additional bike patrollers will help keep our community safe, it’s also a way for police to get to know us.

“There seems to be a divide between the public and the police, but what people forget is that we are the public as well. So people can have normal, human interaction conversations with us, and realize that we are fathers, we are coaches, we are just as much as part of the community as everybody else,” Brownell said.

READ: Police looking for driver who hit Lime scooter rider