KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety is getting ready to launch its new bike unit after wrapping up the final day of training Thursday.
KDPS says its goal is to have the bike unit at special events in Kalamazoo, including parades, festivals, concerts and sporting events.
The department plans to hire 12 new officers who participated in the training to patrol these events.
Officers had to complete 40 hours of agility training tests as part of their training.
“We’re finding now, with the growth downtown, that a lot of our special events, they tend to get pretty big and, like I said, when we’re responding to those, it’s very difficult to get a vehicle down there. These [bikes] can get there rapidly and assist with anything that we need whether it be traffic control, medical or police,” explained KDPS Executive Lieutenant Michael Skurski.
KDPS also hopes that the new bike unit will be a way for officers to connect with the community better.
Although the department will start with 12 officers in its bike unit, the goal is to hire more in the future.
