Police Start Central Towson Bike Patrols

Cpt. Jonathan Trentzsch figures that sometimes, it may be quicker to get around central Towson on two wheels instead of four.

Trentzsch said Thursday that, weather and schedule permitting, the precinct plans to have two bikes on downtown Towson streets every Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"You just have so much more contact with people on bikes, and they can get out pretty good around central Towson," Trentzch said. "I think they're very effective tools for visibility and I think the guys appreciate doing something different."

Trentzsch, who is bike trained himself, said Towson officers were the first in the county to get precinct-wide bike training. Trentzsch said bike patrols already are in force at , but he plans to transition those patrols to the police auxiliary.

Trentzsch said he hopes to have some form of bike patrols, either career or auxiliary officers running every day through central Towson when fall weather comes around.

County Councilman David Marks said the bike patrols were one idea that came out of a meeting he and state Del. Stephen Lafferty had with Trentzsch several months ago.

"We were just looking to see where we could beef up a presence," Marks said, citing a "general feeling" among business owners that police could be more visible, especially in the wake of recent and an influx of and residents into downtown Towson in recent years.

Marks said in the long term, creating a new in Towson could fund additional security, but in the short term, he said, "The fact is there are going to be more and more people in the heart of downtown Towson, and we're going to need to beef up our security."