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Crime & Safety

Tampa Police Get Bike with Bells, Whistles, Siren

Hampton Inn & Suites and the GaYbor District donated the $1,700 patrol bicycle for an added layer of security.

Tampa police Officer Sean Mahabir’s new ride will have lights, sirens and disc brakes, but it can go where a cruiser cannot.

The $1,700 Trek 6000 bicycle with Night Rider system was donated by Hampton Inn & Suites, 1301 E. 7th Ave., and the GaYbor District Coalition. Mayor Bob Buckhorn and police Maj. Gerald Honeywell were on hand Tuesday to accept the gift.

“I’m going to ride this bike every single day,” Mahabir told the small crowd gathered at Hampton Inn for the presentation. ”

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The bike brings to36 the number available to Tampa officers, who use them throughout the city, but especially in , the Channelside District, and downtown -- areas that are sometimes difficult to access in a car, said police spokeswoman Janelle McGregor.

“It does add an extra layer of security in communities,” she said. “This one is special in that, as well as patrolling for crime, the officer can use it to build relationships.”

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Mahabir, who was certified in the department’s most recent bicycle-patrol class, said the bike makes him more accessible to everyone – “whether it’s a good person or bad.”

“More people ask questions, they want to ask questions about the bike,” he  said.  “This gives me a personal touch with residents and businesses.”

The department has had bike patrols since the early 1990s, McGregor said, but because of high maintenance and replacement costs, officers had to share their rides. In the past three years, the department has seen more donations of the bikes from businesses and neighborhood associations that want pedaling officers in their areas. Thanks to the uptick, officers like Mahabir are now assigned bikes.

“Within the last six months, we’ve received three bikes, not including the one today,” McGregor said.

Mahabir and Buckhorn said crime has been dramatically reduced in Ybor City, in part because of the relationships bicycling officers can nurture, and in part because they can more easily zip through crowded or narrow streets in pursuit of suspects.

Any neighborhood or business can donate a police bicycle for use in their community, McGregor said. The new Ybor bike has more add-ons than are required, so it was a little pricier. Bikes that meet the department’s criteria typically cost about $1,500. Recently, Belmont Heights Estates donated two bikes that are used exclusively for patrolling that community.

For information on donating a police bike, residents and businesses in District I should call Maryann Hunsberger at (813) 354-6692; in District II, call Lisa Timmer at (813) 931-6541; and in District III, call Rebecca Jones at (813) 242-3800.

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