DPS to re-activate bike patrols

The Department of Public Safety is planning to re-activate its bike patrol units in Garapan to save the government fuel expenses.

Nine police officers and four Commonwealth Ports Authority police officers have been undergoing bike patrol training since Monday. The training is expected to be completed today, Friday.

Police Officers Jason Tarkong and JJ Cabrera are training the officers with different bike obstacle courses at the parking lot of Duty Free Shoppers in Garapan.

In an interview with Saipan Tribune Wednesday, Cabrera said that bike patrols do not consume fuel so the program will save government money.

Police Officer 3 Frank Pangelinan underscored the need for police officers to undergo bike patrol certification because DPS is trying to re-implement the bike patrol units in Garapan.

“These bikes can be utilized for crowd control in certain events—concerts, fiestas whatever the case may be where police vehicles are not appropriate,” said Pangelinan, who is a shift supervisor with the Patrol Section.

Pangelinan said the bike patrol was not dissolved, but because some police officers resigned, DPS now has very few certified bike patrol officers.

“So when there is a reshuffle, we have the needed officers who are certified to be transferred there,” he said.

Cabrera said they are using mountain bikes and the courses they are teaching are different.

“Safety is always a primary as police officers. We have a lot of tactical maneuvers. We have a lot of small moving maneuvers that we need to do, which is harder. We have obstacles—climbing and descending stairs,” Cabrera said.

Pangelinan, who was one of the 13 trainees, said the program is not easy.

“You really have to get your physical well-being way up to par. Because just like regular jogging and riding a bike, it’s rigorous…. especially when you have all these gears on and you are maneuvering obstacles, especially tight ones,” Pangelinan said.

Cabrera said they incorporate the rules of the road in the training. “As a police officer we have to follow the rules of the road,” he said.

Cabrera said it is easy for the officers to enforce traffic rules and regulations when it comes to vehicles.

“But do we know how to enforce the rules with respect to bicyclists? That’s one of the things that we’re teaching the officers during this course,” Cabrera added.