BENTONVILLE (KFSM) -- The number of people using the trail system in Northwest Arkansas is increasing every day and Bentonville Police Department is using technology to help keep your family safe while you're using them.
Bentonville’s bike team is using an e-bike or an electric assist mountain bike to better patrol the trails.
Hannah Bahn walks her dog on the trails a few times a week and thinks it's great for safety and to raise awareness.
“Also just from the point of we're trying to get it to be a more bike friendly community in general and for kids to see policeman actually out here responding on their bikes,” she said.
Bentonville police said most the calls they get on the trails are about people who had an accident or from people who saw someone who looks suspicious.
“It's an essential part of our patrol throughout the city with the trails growing and more and more people using the trail system, it's very popular in all of Northwest Arkansas. We had to find some way to make sure we have the same services on the trail that we do on the street,” Gene Page said.
Page with the Bentonville Police Department said the city council approved the department trading in three old bikes for a new e-bike.
Page said the e-bike the team is currently using was bought by one of the officers to test it out.
“We saw a great tremendous amount of change in the energy left at the end of the shift and their ability to respond to calls quicker, faster and more efficient once they got to that location,” he said.
A standard police bike with all the equipment on it runs from $1,500 to $1,700. An e-bike costs around $2,500.