By Dan Shriner
Review Editor
The Orion Township substation of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department has a new deputy to make sure the trails, back-roads and pathways of the township remain safe.
Deputy Chris Hall, 31, recently transferred to Orion Township from working in Pontiac after undergoing a rigorous 40-hours of training to become the department’s bike patrol deputy.
Orion Township has some of the highest concentrations of trails, parks and safety paths in Oakland County and Lt. Dan Toth, commander of the Orion substation, said the areas needed to be patrolled.
Orion Township has more than 40 miles of trails, paths and parks.
Hall will also have the same duties of all deputies in Orion Township but the patrol vehicle he uses has a specially-equipped mountain bike attached to the back to be deployed when necessary.
Hall said he has been riding on many of the trails in the township already and has been getting to know residents as they share the rides and walks along the trails and paths.
‘It takes me out of that fortress people see when I’m in a car. The bike makes me more approachable and less intimidating,? Hall, who lives in Oxford, said
‘People don’t really see a police officer when on a bike. I pass people and many don’t really recognize a police uniform.?
Hall said he enjoys talking to some of the kids riding on trails and paths. He said he likes to give ‘high-fives? to the kids wearing helmets.
Toth said there have been many times that deputies have had difficulty reaching injured residents on some of the bike trails and paths.
‘There have been seniors or children lost or a medical condition on a trail,? Toth said. ‘This is another tool we can deploy to aid those in need when a cruiser can’t get to them.?
Toth said every bow hunting season, police get calls about residents who have fallen out of trees and need help.
‘Many times they can’t walk out, there may be a fracture. And a few times a year, people just get lost.?
The bike that Hall uses is equipped with high-intensity lights and even a siren. He also goes riding equipped with the usual items police need, including a firearm, vest, Taser, radio, flashlight, handcuffs and other items.
‘This fall we will get calls during bow season. Hunters fall out of trees and can’t walk out. Or they get lost. ?
Hall noted that there has been vandalism along some of the trails and his trail patrols can reduce the damage to public property.
Both Toth and Hall said the bike can be used some during winter depending on how packed the snow is on some of the trails.
Toth said the role of the bike patrol certainly includes helping those in need but also is a way that Hall can interact with the public in a more friendly setting.
‘We want people to come up and talk to us,? Toth said. ‘We want them to know we are here to help.?