Tiffin police back to patrolling on bikes after 13 years

TIFFIN, Ohio (WTVG) - It’s been 13 years since the Tiffin Police Department utilized their bicycle unit throughout the city. This summer, they are patrolling the streets once again.

“The theory of community policing is just getting out there and being part of the community as much as possible,” said Officer Cadin Emshoff, who’s been with the department for two years. “You see kids out playing, you wave at them, say ‘hi.’”

Along with policing the streets on bikes, Chief David Pauly agrees that officers on bikes can be an effective tool with the community.

“Any major events that we have, Fourth of July, parades, that sort of thing that we have here, Third Thursday’s, I’d like to see our bikes out there in amongst the community,” said Pauly.

The bike patrol unit started in 1998, thanks to the local Lions Club purchasing the two bikes, which are still used today. Chief Pauly acknowledges the bikes are old.

“Really just getting it off the ground then, and we are using the same bike,” said Pauly. “A lot of tender loving care of course to the bikes but we have babied those suckers.”

Chief Pauly explains how Officer Emshoff and Officer Chris Perry will use the bikes along with their patrol cars.

“They’ll get in their cruiser, they’ll hook their bikes to the back of their cruisers, they’ll go out and about, maybe they’ll signal out to dispatch for a couple hours, ‘I’m going to be in this neighborhood for a while’ and just be out and about in the community with the bikes patrolling, doing the same thing, answering call for service,” said Pauly.

With the recent storm damage in our area, Chief Pauly said the bikes are another useful tool to navigate any road closures.

“They can go places where the cruisers can’t go, and so, it will be absolutely imperative to have that during major events,” said Pauly.

For Officer Emshoff, he feels patrolling on a bike allows him to be more approachable to community members during sunny days. But on the days that rain he says “don’t ride the bike, that’s the easiest answer, done it once, not so fun, don’t think I’ll be doing it anytime soon.”

Both Officers Emshoff and Perry completed training and are both certified by the International Police Mountain Bike Association.

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