When it comes to keeping an eye on things and catching bad guys, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office has many modes of transportation at its disposal.

It’s got patrol vehicles, motorcycles, helicopters, boats, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, even a hovercraft.

And now, thanks to Oxford Township, sheriff’s deputies will be able to serve and protect from the seat of a bicycle.

Last week, the township board voted 5-2 to spend up to $2,250 so Oxford’s substation can purchase a new mountain bike and equip it with lights and sirens. Some of the money will also potentially be used to refurbish an existing bike.

Supervisor Bill Dunn and Clerk Curtis Wright cast the dissenting votes.

The parks and recreation commission also approved spending up to $2,000 to purchase and equip a mountain bike for deputies to use.

Parks/Rec. Director Ron Davis said his department plans to pay for it using the proceeds from scrapping the old chain-link fencing around the tennis courts and softball fields (including backstops) at Seymour Lake Township Park.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Frank Lenz told township officials the bikes will be used to patrol the parks, the Polly Ann Trail and other “areas that are inaccessible to our motor vehicles.”

“They’ve been very effective in other communities such as Rochester Hills (and) Commerce Township,” he said.

Having deputies on bikes would make it easier to provide police coverage at events with large crowds such as fireworks displays, athletic tournaments, festivals and parades, according to Lenz.

“I think it’s a positive thing for the community and it’s something my officers enjoy using,” he said.

Sheriff’s Lt. Scott Patterson, commander of the Oxford substation, noted back when there was a deputy here patrolling the Polly Ann Trail and subdivisions, the visible presence was “very well received” by the public. It generated a lot of “positive feedback,” he said.

Trustee Margaret Payne was glad to hear there will once again be police officers on the trail.

“I stopped walking the Polly Ann Trail when you guys stopped patrolling it,” she said.

Because the township and parks/rec. department are paying for these bikes, they, not the sheriff’s office, will own them.

“This is not an item that’s provided by the sheriff’s office,” Lenz explained. “Most of the townships and cities purchase the bikes. They own the mountain bikes, but we’re responsible to put our officers through the training and we hold all liability involved with them riding around.”

Deputies Jim Willyard and Brandy Mendicino completed the week-long training course.

“It’s pretty intense,” Lenz said. “I think on the final day, they rode somewhere between 20 and 40 miles out at Stoney Creek.”

Lenz noted the substation already has one bike rack, donated by Patterson, that can be affixed to a patrol vehicle.

“I also have two (racks) that, if needed, I’d be more than willing to donate,” the sergeant said. “It’s not uncommon for police officers, like myself, to buy miscellaneous equipment like that.”

Following the board’s vote, Dunn explained he’s “glad” the request was approved, but he voted against it on “principle.”

“We give the sheriff’s department over $2 million a year and I think they should be buying the bikes,” he said. “It should be part of your (law enforcement services) contract. It’s not the amount of money, it’s the principle. I think if you’re going to (provide) policing services for a community, they ought to give you the tools to do it.”

“I believe we need (the bikes) and I really want them. It’s just a personal feeling that I have,” Dunn added.

Trustee Jack Curtis offered a rebuttal.

As someone who stands “out in the rain” and “in the cold” campaigning for the passage of police millages, he believes “this board did the right thing tonight” because the request was about keeping the trail and the township’s parks “safe” for users.

Given the Oxford substation closes, or clears, 62 percent of its criminal cases, Curtis doesn’t mind giving deputies “a tool that is not in our contract” when they ask for it.

Dunn noted he, too, believes “the board did the right thing.”

“Over the years, I’ve supported the sheriff’s department wholeheartedly,” the supervisor said. “I wasn’t trying to dis the sheriff’s department, but I just (believe) that this type of equipment should be supplied by the sheriff’s department.”

Wright explained he voted against the request due to a lack of information.

“I was not against that,” he said. “I just wish I had more information to look at to make sure that the money’s being responsibly spent.”