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Kyle Gets Cops on Bikes

Kyle's Police Department has hired seven new officers for bicycle patrols in the northern Hays County community.
Photo by City of Kyle
Kyle's Police Department has hired seven new officers for bicycle patrols in the northern Hays County community.

The City of Kyle is deploying its first ever bicycle unit. The seven police officers will “keep out the unwanted criminal element” from Kyle’s growing commercial district, the city said in a news release.

The Kyle Police Department was able to hire the officers, but it couldn’t afford to buy the bikes. So the local Target offered to pay $2,000 for bicycles and uniforms.

“Having officers on bicycles patrolling our commercial districts allows us to have greater mobility in the types of close quarters that we find in the parking lots,” Kyle police chief Jeff Barnett said in the news release.

After the holidays, the bike patrol will focus on policing community parks and residential neighborhoods. 

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Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @KUTnathan.