Flower Mound police bike patrol gets new wheels

The Flower Mound Police Department brought on two new members to its bicycle patrol unit — and they each have two wheels.

At a town council meeting Monday night, chief Andy Kancel presented two new mountain bikes for its community policing efforts.
“This program really enables us to better patrol parks, bike and hike trails,” Kancel said.

Within the past year, the police department bought five bikes through donations from local entities. The newest bikes came through a $2,000 donation from the noon Rotary Club.

“We’ve done a lot of different things with the community,” Kancel said. “We really like the fact that we can patrol on our bicycles.”

The bicycle patrol is a part-time position performed by the department’s patrol officers. At the last Highland Village Fallen Officer Bike Race the Flower Mound riders won second place.

“We’re going to continue growing these types of programs … Because anytime we can better engage our community and develop those relationships it’s a positive thing,” Kancel said.

The unit includes two sergeants and seven officers. Kancel said he would like to continue to grow the unit with partnerships, not at taxpayer expense.