Piedmont, AL – The Piedmont Police Department has announced that they have officially started a Bike Patrol Unit that will be utilized within the city. Police Chief, Nathan Johnson, stated that he was “very excited and proud to have this unit as an available tool in fighting crime within the city.”
The police department applied for, and was awarded, a grant through the Coosa Valley RC&D (Resource Conservation & Development) Council. The community project grant of $6,000 was to be used towards the purchasing of necessary equipment to start the bike patrol unit. The police department was able to purchase 3 Cannondale Trail Bikes and an Apollo E-Scooter to equip its bike unit to start patrolling. Chief Johnson advised that the Oxford Police Department has provided training for the Piedmont Police Department Bike Unit at no charge to the city and expressed his gratitude.
Chief Johnson stated in the official press release, “The City of Piedmont houses approximately 20 miles of recreational bike trail along the Chief Ladiga Trail within our jurisdiction. We have many recreational events on the Chief Ladiga Trail and in town including charity 5k’s and bicycle races, in which the police need to be able to quickly and safely respond to anyone that needs assistance. I feel that it is important to the citizens and visitors of Piedmont to see the police presence in this capacity and with the help of Coosa Valley RC&D Councils we are now able to provide that service to our community.”
The Chief also advised that there are currently six assigned members of the new bike unit and most have completed the 40-hour training required to be on the unit. Chief Johnson stated, “I am on the team because I like to lead by example. The other members of the team are Sergeant Michael DeVoe, Sergeant Kevin West, Investigator Cody Quinn, Officer Solomon Doss, and Officer Jaden Amberson.” He went on to say, “The overall goals of having a Police Bike Patrol in the City of Piedmont is to improve community relations, make bike trail events and downtown events safer for both citizens and patrol, provide safety and support to those who use the bike trail, provide service to those areas that cannot support a police vehicle, make officers more approachable to the citizens, and provide service to stranded cyclist.”
The Director of Coosa Valley RC&D, Ciara Turner, explained how their council operates. “We open applications for grants to governmental entities such as, schools, cities, police departments, fire departments, and other councils. We are also available to other 501 (c)(3) non-profits if they meet the criteria we have listed on our website. Open application dates are from April 1 through June 30 and the application can be filled out on our website. We begin to fund approved grants beginning October 1.” Ms. Turner also explained that Coosa Valley RC&D was a 501(c)(3) that is funded by the state of Alabama and this year they expect to have funded approximately $600K in grants. Ms. Turner stated that, “We are one of nine councils and cover eleven counties. All 67 counties have an RC&D that are assigned to a specific area”.
“On behalf of the Piedmont Police Department and the City of Piedmont, thank you Coosa Valley RC&D Councils for your assistance in funding this project to make Piedmont a safer and better community.” stated Chief Johnson.
