In a win-win arrangement, the Guttenberg Police Department recently purchased several new vehicles to help patrol the township, at no cost to taxpayers.
Two new patrol cars and two new bicycles were added to the equipment roster, all of them purchased with funds seized from criminal investigations.
The two Fuji bicycles cost about $1,200 each and were purchased from a police bike store.
“This is top of the line equipment,” said Sgt. Juan Barrera. “They have sirens and lights like police car lights. They’re just as bright. You can see them a block away. The technology makes it safer for the officer and also for the public to see the bikes.”
A pouch on the rear of each bicycle will carry the officers’ summons book, first aid kits, and other essentials.
The new bicycles bring the total to six bikes belonging to the force, joining two Treks and two Smith & Wessons dating back to about 2001.
“In a town like ours, where you’ve got a lot of congestion on the streets, they can get around sometimes faster on a bike than with a car.” –Gerald Drasheff
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Bike patrols will be utilized seasonally, dependent on weather, to supplement car patrols.
The advantages of bikes
The new bikes were purchased about two months ago. All officers in the Guttenberg Police Department will be certified with a special 40-hour police bike training course including how to make traffic stops.
“They’re out daytime hours from 6 to 2, and 2 to 10,” said Barrera. “Nighttime we put them in a car.”
“Normally our complement on a shift is three or four people,” added Drasheff. “We’ve got six bikes now. So we have more than enough bikes and we just need to make sure we get as many people trained as we can.”
The bikes have several advantages over cars. They are environmentally friendly and don’t use fossil fuels. They are a healthy tool for the officers. Plus, “In a town like ours, where you’ve got a lot of congestion on the streets, they can get around sometimes faster on a bike than with a car,” noted Drasheff. “You get to cover a lot more than you would cover on foot, yet you have the same advantages of being on foot. People see you, they can talk to you.”
“Officers on bikes make more contacts with people than the guy in a car,” said Barrera.
“We really work hard to try and have a relationship between the officers and the kids,” continued Drasheff. “We run all those programs – DARE, Junior Police Academy, and so on. When a kid sees a cop on a bike he’s going to have more of a tendency to talk to him than in a car. It’s just much more approachable. The car, if it’s hot out, the windows are up, the air conditioning’s on. It’s a barrier. There’s no two ways about it.”
Two new cars, including a stealth model
Cars are still an essential part of policing, however, especially given the terrain and geography of Guttenberg, and the many major thoroughfares running through town. With that in mind, the town added two new cars to the force in recent months.
The newest purchase is a “stealth” model, according to Barrera. “It’s all blacked out,” he said, with the “police” decals invisible in daylight, making the car seem like simply an all-black sedan. But when a car’s light hits the police decal it becomes visible. “In the daytime it’s black,” said Barrera. “Even at night if lights don’t hit it, it stays black.”
The two cars and the two bikes were all purchased at no expense to the town.
“The Guttenberg police through criminal investigations were able to seize money and purchase them,” said Barrera, noting that the funds came from various incidents. “It’s good because the taxpayer doesn’t have to foot the bill.”
Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.