Monday, June 28, 1999
Bike patrol grows for summer
Cyclists work to build rapport with children
BY SHEILA McLAUGHLIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Officer Lisa Elliott chats with kids riding bikes throug Joy Acres Mobile Park.
(Dick Swaim photo)
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HAMILTON TOWNSHIP — Lisa Elliott rounded the corner of Zoar Road into Joy Acres Mobile Home Park and her eyes — the keen eyes of a seasoned cop — didn't miss a movement.
She jumped the curb and zipped the mountain bike to the edge of the woods where a pint-sized blond boy emerged from the tree line with a red two-wheeler.
“What are you doing in there?” she asked in friendly tone, laced with authority.
The youngster told her about the clubhouse he and his friends were building. She asked why he wasn't wearing a helmet and offered a gentle sermon on the importance of wearing gym shoes, instead of sandals, when riding his bike.
This is Officer Elliott's summer job.
As part of the township's expanded police bike patrol, the 32-year-old Lebanon mother is among three officers who spend half their week patrolling on two wheels.
During the school year, Officer Elliott is in the classroom, teaching the DARE program to elementary students in the Little Miami District. They are some of the same kids she now sees in her latest assignment.
“For me it's like a natural progression. I can keep an eye on them all summer,” she said.
After the boy left, Officer Elliott parked her bike and followed the path through the woods on foot. Suspicious? Perhaps.
“We hear about stuff happening back in here and I just want to see if it's true,” she said, looking for beer cans and cigarette butts.
The bike patrol expansion this year was spurred by exploding growth in the township, where population has about tripled since 1990.
Some of the bike officers' time is spent on the township portion of the Little Miami Bike Trail, watching for lawbreakers and for cyclists running stop signs.
On weekends, they visit subdivisions and try to influence children to stay out of trouble.
“In essence we are putting another officer on road patrol,” Chief Gene Duvelius said.
“Ultimately, our goal is to build up rapport the children have with the officers. We are trying to dispel the "bad cop' idea that is constantly being barraged at them every night on TV.”
Officers Elliott and Mark Gray were put through grueling training at the Dayton Police Academy in April to prepare them for their new role. Until now, Dominic Minella had been the township's sole cycling officer.
While the job might seem to be steeped in public relations, their duties are more diverse than they appear. An officer has a lot more flexibility on a bike than in a cruiser, Officer Elliott said.
Tuesday, before hopping on the bike trail, she shooed a limping Doberman pinscher out of the street in Kings Mills, tracked down its owner, and suggested he have the dog “put down” because it was crippled from cancer.
She ordered a motorist out of a dangerous, blind curve when he stopped to ask directions from cyclists.
At Joy Acres, Officer Elliott dropped in to see the manager to talk about potential problems in the neighborhood. Using the stealth of a bike to her advantage, she sneaked up on a group of 7- and 8-year-olds who were swinging a kitten by its tail.
All the while Officer Elliott was trailed by a few youngsters who remembered her from school.
Pam Foxbower's son, Zack Musgrave, 12, was one of them.
“My son will probably be calling all his friends, saying "guess who I rode my bike with today,'” Mrs. Foxbower said.
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