Bicycle patrol police (from left) Sergeant Robert Simpson, Officer Kelly Baird and Officer Mark Miller	Safety by the Sea Officer Greg Mansfield (left) and Master Police Officer Glenn Williams on the Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes

Covering the campus on two wheels

UD's Bicycle Patrol officers ride through the main part of campus, talk with students and staff as they are riding and can be stopped for assistance easier than a traditional vehicle. The patrol operates most of the year, weather permitting.

The Bicycle Patrol began in 1991 when two officers, Lt. Vincent Shipman and Cpl. Paige Seppanen, attended a certified training course at the University of Toledo, Ohio. These officers, in turn, developed a bicycle training course for UD officers. Each bicycle patrol officer receives annual re-training during the summer months. Sgt. Robert Simpson added a 10-mile ride through White Clay Creek Preserve as part of the annual training in 2001.

UD's Bicycle Patrol unit has grown and developed since the program started with bicycles taken from the lost and found and uniforms from a local sporting goods store. All bicycle patrol officers are now certified before going on the road.

Law enforcement is a regular part of the bicycle patrol officer's duties and the use of bicycles has many advantages:

• Officers are able to access areas of the campus that other vehicles cannot, can maneuver across campus more quickly than other vehicles and can stop and talk with members of the campus community without creating a traffic hazard.
  
  
• Bicycle officers can respond to certain situations more quickly than officers in vehicles or on foot.
  
  
• Parking lot patrol is more effective and can be done quietly, providing a better chance of observing crime in progress.
  
  
• Bicycles are effective in crowd control situations, such as football games and other events that may occur outdoors on campus.
  
  
• Bicycle patrol officers are sometimes viewed as more approachable than officers in standard police vehicles.