Statement From Chief Lawson On New Police Bike

As reported here on The Lakewood Scoop, Lakewood was one of many NJ Police Departments to receive one of the new distributed Police bikes. Chief Robert C. Lawson made the following statement. The Lakewood Police Department is a recipient of a new patrol bicycle from the Newmann Foundation. The Chief stated: “We thank the Foundation for this gift and the opportunity to participate in honoring the memory of Officer Keith Neumann.” The bicycle will go into service with the Department’s Patrol Division. The bicycle patrols that have long been a feature in the downtown area have recently been expanded into many residential neighborhoods. Our patrol bikes provide an invaluable means of patrol for police personnel and we have used them extensively in many different communities within the township. The advantages of using the patrol bikes include: enabling an officer to interact with the public and more effectively perform community policing, providing a means to transverse heavily trafficked roads in our downtown business area, and stealth approaches when performing neighborhood crime prevention details. A side benefit to the officers is that through the physical conditioning they receive while riding the bike, they are in excellent physical condition. Typically, we will get several years out of our patrol bikes before they need an extensive overhaul since an officer will commonly ride up to 20 miles per shift. Deputy Chief Charles H. Smith and Officer Glenn Bressan attended the award ceremony and accepted the bicycle on behalf of the Lakewood Police Department.