ESTEVAN — Const. Cole Hoover is using his enjoyment of cycling to enhance his duties with the Estevan Police Service.
Hoover has brought back the EPS's bicycle patrol. Since the start of June, he has been out on his bicycle for work at every possible opportunity as part of the seasonal initiative.
"I know we have some pretty nice fall weather here in Estevan, so I'd like to see it go into September for sure and perhaps early October, but I would say that the summer time is primetime for the bike unit, because that's when most people are using the parks and the pathways," Hoover said in an interview with SaskToday.
Last summer there was a call to be part of a bicycle training course in Regina. Since Hoover said he enjoys being out in the community and riding his bicycle, he jumped at the opportunity and attended a week-long course in Regina.
"I got all polished up on some police mountain bike procedures, and now I'm back and trying to put some miles on this summer," he said.
The bike patrol has been great for community engagement, he said. The EPS wants to see greater safety within parks, pathways and other locations, while encouraging people to stay within the acceptable guidelines of the parks. The patrol also allows the EPS to interact with children and encourage them to properly wear helmets and be safe while on bicycles.
The EPS has partnered with 7-11 and Dairy Queen on a positive ticketing initiative. If the EPS sees kids wearing helmets while biking, they will give out a voucher for a Slurpee or a dilly bar.
Hoover said he averages about 30 kilometres or a couple of hours on the bike per shift. Weather conditions and staffing dictate how much time he'll be out cycling versus in a patrol car.
"I like to spread my time out there so I can be in the parks when it's the busiest times, especially on the hot days from maybe 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. when people are using paddling pools and spray parks; and also in the evenings when the sun is going down and there's low light situations where people are wanting to stay out late in the parks. Hopefully they feel a sense of security that the police are out there as well," he said.
In addition to community engagement and bicycle safety, the patrol allows the EPS to ensure park users are following the rules. They don't want to see littering in the parks or along the pathways, nor do they want to see tents or encampments. They also want to curb vandalism.
"We don't want people to think that they have free reign to misuse equipment out there," said Hoover.
He has spoken to a couple of people about the way they are using equipment in the parks, and he believes he has deterred some from damaging park infrastructure.
"We're speaking to people and educating them that these are areas that everybody wants to use, so we don't want to mistreat them," he said.
Hoover arrived in Estevan in 2021, when the city's master pathway and sidewalk system was under construction. He said the pathways around Estevan are a fantastic place for people to walk, run and cycle.
"Being able to circle almost the entire city, and having a pretty intricate system within the city, makes it nice to be able to travel all over on the bike without having to interfere with traffic or compete with cars," said Hoover.
He hopes the bicycle patrol can continue in the long-term, because it gives people a greater opportunity to interact with the police.
"I think they're more comfortable with that setting. It might be a little less intimidating for people. I love to hear people's concerns and questions and generally have good conversations with people who are out in those settings and enjoying the nice settings around the city."
If anyone wants to partner with the EPS on safe cycling initiative sponsorships, they are encouraged to reach out to Hoover and the EPS to discuss those opportunities.
