Palmerton Police Department’s bike patrol made its return just over a month ago, and the initiative is already drawing rave reviews from residents and officers.

“I love it,” Officer Adam Shimer, one of two Palmerton patrolmen who handle the bike patrol, said. “When we go up and down the alleys and around town, people are hooting and hollering when they see you. It’s been a great start so far.”

The department officially unveiled its two Trek bicycles on Monday afternoon, joined by Harold Schisler, who provided the donation that made the purchase possible at no cost to taxpayers.

“I’m an avid mountain biker myself and I knew if these guys are going to be on them 8-10 hours a shift, they need a good bike,” Schisler said. “I know the guys down at Trek and these are specifically made for law enforcement.”

Shimer and fellow officer Brian Stern attended training in Allentown from May 9-13 before they could patrol in Palmerton. The two drove 21-22 miles around Allentown in what they described as an intense week of class.

“It wasn’t just riding,” Stern said. “You learned bike maintenance and mechanics. We changed the tires and the whole nine yards. It was a live class too so there was actually a situation where the officers on patrol down there got called to the Allentown Fairgrounds for someone with a firearm and the whole class was there for the arrest.”

So far, the officers have been patrolling mostly in the downtown area and at the Palmerton Pool.

“When the carnival was here in the park, you could ride around making sure nothing funny is going on,” Shimer said. “They picked out phenomenal bikes for us. These tackle the hills no problem. Palmerton is like one big hill so it was a great choice.”

The bike patrol was one of the main items on Don Herrmann’s checklist when he was elected mayor in November.

“I wasn’t seeing the police at festivals and I didn’t see them at the pool,” Herrmann said. “It’s good for the community. The kids love it and the adults love it. It gives that extra, added view that they are out there and not just sitting in their cars. Our officers are very dedicated and we want people to see that.”

Stern said he hopes the borough can eventually get another officer or two trained to ride the bikes.

“I’d also like to see us maybe add a safety program where we donate helmets to kids who need them,” he said. “I talked to other officers in Slatington and Lehighton about possibly doing some kind of ride where people could come out on the D&L Trail and bike with the police. I think there are a lot of things we could do with this.”