The Bicycle Patrol includes from left, (front row) Vincent Shipman, Michael Hertrzfeld, Paige Seppanen, Eileen Tarkett and David Bartolf, and (back row) Robert Simpson, William Texter, Alfred Kaczorowski and Emmett Robinson. Not pictured are Albert Laibinis and David Finnie.UD's Bicycle Patrol officers ride through the main part of campus, often talk with students and staff as they are riding, and can be stopped for needed assistance much easier than a traditional vehicle. The patrol operates most of the year, weather permitting.
The Bicycle Patrol began in 1991. Two officers, Investigator Vincent Shipman and Master Police Officer Paige Seppanen, attended a certified training course at the University of Toledo, Ohio. These officers, in turn, developed a non-certified bicycle training course for UD police officers and those at other Delaware municipalities. Officers from the Newark, Rehoboth Beach and Milford police departments have since been trained. Shipman and Seppanen also were instrumental in providing bicycle patrol procedure information to both Wilmington and New Castle County police departments.
The Bicycle Patrol unit has grown to 11 officers. 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. They 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 outside events that may occur on campus. Bicycle patrol officers are sometimes viewed as more approachable than officers in standard police vehicles.
