Palmer police use pedal power

PALMER In the quiet town of Palmer, police dont usually get a second look. As officers motor through residential areas and downtown intersections, passing drivers may glance at their speedometers. But most dont notice who is behind the wheel of the cop car, and no one waves or honks their horns in greeting.

Until this summer. Now people slow down and do a double take. They wonder if they really saw what they think they did. Was that a Palmer cop pedaling a bicycle?

They are glad to see us out there, Sgt. Thomas Remaley said. We get to actually slow down a bit . . . and talk with people.

This summer, Palmer implemented a program some call progressive and unconventional, words rarely applied to a small-town police department. Several days a week, weather allowing, two officers patrol the streets via mountain bicycle. They peddle past downtown businesses, into local parks, along back trails and through neighborhoods.

Along the way, they talk with people. They remind youngsters to register their bicycles and wear helmets, they discuss security issues with local business owners and they wave when someone honks.

While most Palmer residents are not used to seeing their officers pedaling by, this isnt a strange sight to Jamie Hutson, manager of the downtown Vagabond Blues coffeehouse .

Im originally from Washington. We have bike cops all over the place, he said. I think its a great idea . . . It makes them more personable.

This is one of the primary goals of the program, according to Sgt. Remaley. He said the department is well aware of public criticism but said they typically dont hear complaints until people are upset enough to show up at a city council meeting. By then, tempers have already flared.

We are trying to be proactive, community-based, Remaley said.

He said most people are more willing to approach an officer who is on a bicycle rather than in a car. This allows residents to share their ideas or concerns with police, and in return, it enables officers to interact with regular people, instead of just criminals and those in crisis.

Remaley said he has been trying to get the program going for several years, but had to find the funds for the $700 Smith & Wesson bicycles. This year, the department bought two and borrowed two from Anchorage, which has an ongoing police-on-bikes program.

Unlike larger cities such as Anchorage and Seattle, Palmer does not have a separate unit within the department for bicycle patrol. Instead, each of the nine Palmer officers shares the duty, depending on everyones schedule.

Sgt. C. E. Crim, who has been with the department for 15 years, admits he was skeptical when the idea was first proposed.

Knowing this community, I thought, What good is it going to do here? Crim said. But when the time came, he was one of the first to volunteer. And now Crim says he hopes the program becomes a permanent fixture.

Palmer does offer some limitations to bicycle patrol, however. The long, cold winter means there are only a few months out of the year for the program. The small staff means officers can only be put on bicycles when there are enough people on hand to ensure everyones safety. And the small budget means there isnt enough money for fancy new bicycle uniforms or equipment.

Even with the purchase of the bicycles, however, Remaley argues the program is cost-effective. He points out that fuel and automobile maintenance isnt an issue, and bicycling is good for the officers health.

Officers on bicycles are fully equipped with helmets, radios, weapons and bulletproof vests. The result is a strenuous workout for the pedaling police officers.

A few of them get a little winded on the hills, Remaley admitted.

All in all, however, both the officers and the community seem to be willing to give the program a try. While Palmer City Councilman Steve Carrington said he wasnt one of the driving forces behind the plan, he supports it.

Its a step in the right direction, Carrington said. As a council member, Carrington attended a conference several years ago in Fairbanks on community policing. He said the goal is to improve the relationship between police departments and the people they serve, and making the officers more accessible is part of that process.

Even a cop walking a beat would make sense in Palmer, Carrington said.

As the owner of a downtown business, Carrington has different reasons for appreciating the program. He said he is glad to see police pedaling by his storefront or even in the back alley where they can catch any criminal behavior or, hopefully, deter it altogether.

And any time you have an adult wearing a bicycle helmet, its a good thing, Carrington added.

Not everyone in Palmer is sold, however.

I think its lame, Judy Hjellen said. A 35-year Alaska resident, Hjellen has worked as a waitress at the Valley Hotel for nearly 15 years. During that time, she says, she has seen the small town gradually gain big-city problems. She pointed out one of her coworkers had recently been assaulted just down the street.

Were just a couple of years away from all that stuff going on in Anchorage drive-by shootings, drugs, vandalism, Hjellen said. The last place Hjellen wants her police officers is on bicycles.

Its a goofy idea, she said. Motorcycles, maybe.

Hjellen is among those who believe that police officers on bicycles are more vulnerable and so, therefore, not as effective in fighting crime.

Sgt. Remaley did identify this as an issue, but pointed out that officers on bicycles patrol in pairs and are always in radio contact with other officers in vehicles.

While those on bicycles do respond to calls and make traffic stops, Remaley said the main goal is to get out and reconnect with the community.

Photo: Sgt. C.E. Crim, left, and Sgt. Thomas Remaley share bicycle duty with Palmer Police Departments seven other officers. The department implemented the patrol program this summer.

Photo by EOWYN LeMAY IVEY/Frontiersman.