FORT SMITH -- Residents can expect to see police officers making their way through the downtown area and Chaffee Crossing on bicycles.
Capt. Daniel Grubbs, special operations commander for the Police Department, said the department's Bicycle Patrol Unit became active again July 15 after being defunct for more than a decade.
Danny Baker, police chief, said via email the unit makes officers more approachable in pedestrian-friendly locations, which helps the department in terms of community policing. It also improves the department's mobility and responsiveness to situations not as practical for the typical patrol unit.
"As downtown entertainment options evolve, parks and trails continue to expand and our rapid growth in east Fort Smith continues, these services will be pivotal to community engagement and response," Baker said.
Doug Reinert, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said he believes the unit will be able to access and assist people who find themselves in an emergency situation while using the city's multiuse trails, such as a medical event or injury. There will be a significant amount of ground to cover between the city's current trails and those it plans to build, with people using them both for recreation and as alternative routes of transportation.
Examples of existing trails include the Greg Smith River Trail that runs along the Arkansas River from downtown and the Chaffee Crossing Trail System on the east side of the city.
Grubbs, who oversees the unit, said it will also patrol neighborhoods and the city's three entertainment districts, adding the latter will be easier to monitor on bicycles.
"When you get in a car, you kind of get separated from a lot of things that are going on around you, even if you keep the window down," Grubbs said. "But when you're on a bike, you open up all of your senses and you can hear and it assists you in patrolling areas like that."
The unit will be involved in community relations and special events for the department as well, according to Grubbs.
Grubbs said the Police Department first established the Bicycle Patrol Unit in the mid-1990s with money from a U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services grant before the city started covering the costs. The unit had dedicated 20 officers and two sergeants at one point before a diversion of resources after 9/11 and a decrease in staffing led to its remaining officers being absorbed back into the department's standard patrol division in the late 2000s.
Baker said reviving the unit as resources and manpower allowed had been a priority for him since he took office in 2019. He noted the department had gone through a transitional period in which many officers left for either retirement or competing agencies.
Grubbs said the department has 162 sworn officers on staff as of Wednesday, with five more preparing to become fully eligible to serve. The department is budgeted for 164 sworn positions across all divisions, although City Administrator Carl Geffken has allowed it to hire four additional people.
Grubbs said the department seriously started working toward reimplementing the Bicycle Patrol Unit during the first quarter of this year. It pulled six Trek bicycles the unit previously used from storage and provided maintenance for four of them to ensure they were "road ready."
The unit currently consists of one bicycle officer and one supervisor who went through training via the International Police Mountain Bike Association, according to Grubbs.
Sgt. Alejandro Marin, unit supervisor, said he enjoys cycling and has several family members who feel the same way. Being a part of the unit gives him an opportunity to be closer to the businesses and people who comprise the local community.
"I mean, it's something different than being in a car all day long, plus it's some exercise there as well," he said.
Manuel Valente-Sotelo said he was motivated to join the unit as a patrol officer after seeing how popular cycling has become in the area, something he believes will continue to grow. He likewise enjoys being out with the community through the new program, especially in the downtown area.
"People really love seeing us out there," Valente-Sotelo said. "It's something they haven't seen in such a long time. It's a surprise to them, but it's a good surprise because they see the efforts of the department and this is just one way to show them that we're actively trying to improve our relations with the downtown area and Fort Smith as a whole."
Marin said he and Valente-Sotelo patrol downtown before transporting their bikes to do the same in Chaffee Crossing.
Baker said the department plans to spend about $1,000 per officer in the Bicycle Patrol Unit to provide them special uniforms and protective gear, as well as to ensure the department's existing bicycles are up to serviceable conditions. The cost of training only amounts to what is needed to have an officer travel out of town to receive it. The department plans to facilitate Marin getting the necessary training to teach the course in Fort Smith.
Grubbs expressed hope that at least one more patrol officer will be transferred to the unit over the next couple of months, as well as for the unit to have four officers by the end of the year.
Alejandro Marin, supervisor of the Fort Smith Police Department’s Bicycle Patrol Unit, prepares to ride on Thursday, July 28, 2022, at the police station in Fort Smith. After years of being defunct, the bike unit started patrolling again on July 15. Visit nwaonline.com/220731Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)More News
NoneFort Smith’s Future Trails
Fort Smith has about 36 miles of trails outlined for construction in a master plan, with about 12 miles being complete.
Source: Doug Reinert, Fort Smith Parks and Recreation Department