Federal Way police turn to dirt bikes to patrol parks

Federal Way police turn to dirt bikes to patrol parks

Tools

Story Published: Jul 3, 2008 at 6:05 PM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 10:39 PM PDT

By Akiko Fujita

Watch the story
FEDERAL WAY -- Armed with a new tool, Officer Shawn Swanson cuts to the chase through asphalt and grass. He takes his dual sport bike through the parking lot at Steel Lake Park and trails hidden behind them.

"Whereas patrol cars and motorcycles we currently have were limited to paved roads, these allow us to go straight to the problem and address it quickly," Swanson said.

The dirt bikes are the Federal Way Police Department's latest solution to curbing crime at a park plagued by gang violence. Swanson says the number of fights and shootings have escalated in the last few years. A shooting last August wounded a 16 year-old boy and partially paralyzed a teenaged girl.

"It's a very small element of people causing problems," he said. "We have made a dent in it but we want the problem to go away completely."

The city parks department added cameras near the water last year so police could monitor activity closely. A few months ago, workers cut the park's basketball court in half and lowered the net so only young kids would be interested in playing.

Kirsha Ballard lives across the street and says she is growing weary of all the violence.

"It's a real family oriented park," she said. "It was all sad to see them ducking one day during the shooting and they've got little 2 year-olds with them."

Commander Stan McCall says his department plans to maintain a big presence at the park the entire summer. His officers will be patrolling in cars and on foot.

Two new dirt bikes will allow him to have eyes in new areas and react to problems quicker.

Weather & Traffic

Icon
Current Temp 58.0 °F
Overcast
More Weather

Weather & Traffic

More Weather

On Demand

Resources and info you need to prepare for the switch to DTV.

Stay Connected

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

Marketplace