New Orleans Police Department
1st District
The
New Orleans Police Department's 1st District recently
implemented a Bicycle Patrol as a result of a police - community partnership.
A neighborhood association, the Faubourg St. John Civic Association, donated
two police mountain bikes along with emergency lights and sirens, to the district.
The bicycles are used primarily to patrol the neighborhoods of Faubourg St. John,
Treme and Esplanade Ridge, but are able to respond to situations throughout
the district. First District Commander, Captain Edwin P. Compass,
III commended the Association for their support, saying "This is a
great example of the police and community working together to make these neighborhoods
safer for everyone. Their concern for their community and generous donation
made it possible for us to do things that we wouldn't have been able to without
their support." A couple of weeks after the
bike patrols were implemented, the unit was credited with saving the lives of
a half dozen people who were inside a burning French Quarter apartment building.
The fire spread from a small hotel at 911 Burgundy St. to the apartment building
at 1025 Dumaine St. and according to a resident, "We were unaware of the
fire. They probably saved our lives."
First District Officers Sean Kevany and Adam Werner are the primary riders, along with Officers Monte Comardelle, Blake Munster and Ernest Bickham. Recently Officers Kevany and Werner sat down with Ms. Marie Marcel, president of the Esplanade Ridge and Treme Civic Association, and provided her with info for their monthly newsletter.
Here is their interview:
Where do you patrol?
-Our main areas of patrol are: North Rampart Street including the Treme Area, The Esplanade Area, and The Bayou St. John Area.
Are you out at particular times of the day?
-Our shift is from 3:00 P.M. until 11:00 P.M., we are on bicycles for the entire 8 hour shift.
Can you be flagged down if we encounter a problem?
-Yes, we can be flagged down if a problem is encountered or if you just want to say hello. We encourage residents to flag us down if they observe any suspicious activity or suspicious persons in the area.
Did you move to the First District from another district?
-Both Officer Adam Werner and Sean Kevany have been assigned to the First District since the completion of the Police Academy.
What made us want to join the bicycle patrol?
-Both Officer Adam Werner and Sean Kevany are active bicycle riders even before becoming bicycle patrol officers. We knew that other districts were implementing bicycles to patrol and it was very effective, so we approached our District Commander about starting up our own bicycle patrol unit. Captain Compass embraced the idea and it was implemented. Both Officers paid for the bicycle patrol course and related uniforms on their own and upon completion of the course started the First District Bicycle Patrol Unit.
Any general information about the bicycle patrols?
-Some general information about the bicycle patrol is that we are mainly a pro-active unit which means that we do not handle calls for service, unless we are close. We usually self initiate all of our activity( i.e. traffic stops, pedestrian stops, area checks and business checks). Some general information about the bicycles we ride: Our bicycle fleet includes: 2- 2000 Trek Y-3's, 2-1996 Trek 8000's, and 1 2000 Trek 6000. The bicycles are all equipped with headlights and tail lights for night time riding. Approximate cost per fully equipped bicycle is around $1,300.
Will there be more of you in the future?
-Currently we have five active bicycle trained officers. Officer Werner and Kevany are the primary bicycle patrol officers who will be out there every day. The other two officers, Officers Monte Comardelle, Blake Munster, and Ernest Bickham will be on bicycles when we have enough officers to man the cars. This will be about twice a week. We also have the commander of the bicycle patrol unit, Lt. Tami Guerrera, she rides with the officers a few times a week also.
Are you assigned just to the First District?
-Yes we are assigned solely to the First District.
What do you like most about the bicycle patrol?
-What we enjoy most about the bicycle patrol is the interaction with the community, getting out and meeting the community on a more personal level. We get stopped all the time and asked questions about what we do and we learn about problems in the areas, suspicious activities that go on. We also like being able to sneak up on law violators without them knowing we're there. Catching them red handed. Plus the fresh air and exercise is a bonus.
What do you like least about the bicycle patrol?
-What we like least about the bicycle patrol is that when we make an arrest we have to call for a car to take our arrestee to the lock up.
Do you ever get flat tires on the road?
-Yes, we get flats on the road, so far in the two months that we have been doing the bicycle patrol, Officer Werner has managed to get three flat tires. We carry extra tubes with us along with patch kits, so we can change them on the road and continue our patrol.
Lt. Tami Guerrera P/O
Sean Kevany P/O
Adam Werner P/O Blake
Munster P/O Monte Comardelle
Our station is located at 501 North Rampart Street, at the corner of St. Louis Street. Our telephone number is 504-565-7500. Our fax number is 504-565-7544.
Our mailing address is:
New Orleans
Police Department
First District
501 North Rampart St.
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 565-7500
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