I like the last one.  Cop cars can be such bad PR. It's so aggravating to see a 
cop car pulled over in the bike lane or on the sidewalk or other idiotic type 
behavior.  when I see a cop on a bike it's much less of a power thing and more 
approachable. Not to mention getting them off their laptops. :)
kris




________________________________
From: Robbie Webber <[email protected]>
To: Bikies <[email protected]>
Sent: Fri, October 8, 2010 11:11:05 AM
Subject: Re: [Bikies] Cops on bikes - city press release


Having heard various presentations about police on bikes, and the use of bikes 
in patrols, I can tell you what I've heard. These are listed in no particular 
order.

* Needless to say, for long distances, bicycling will be slower than driving, 
but for congested areas, parks, events, or other locations where driving a car 
would be difficult or impractical, bicycles allow officers to maneuver more 
easily and quickly. 

* In some cases bicycles actually allow officers to approach a crime scene more 
stealthily than a car would. I heard one officer talk about patrolling a park 
where drug dealing had been a problem. She saw a situation up ahead - I think a 
known bad guy who was doing something untoward - and was practically on top of 
the guy before he ever noticed her. 

* In urban areas, an officer on a bike can much more easily pursue a running 
suspect than either an officer on foot or one in a car. Cars have a hard time 
moving between buildings, through green ways, etc.

* Probably most important, a cop on a bike is much more approachable my the 
community. An enormous amount of keeping a community safe and running smoothly 
is making connections, talking to people, and knowing what's happening first 
hand. We all know that being on a bicycle allows allows us to interact with 
those around us much more easily than being in a car. 

Basically, using bikes means an officer can be faster than one on foot, can 
carry more stuff and cover more territory than being on foot, but can be more 
aware of the community and more approachable than one in a car.
There is specific training for how to patrol on bikes, including mounting and 
dismounting quickly, using the bike to take down a suspect, etc.


Robbie Webber
Bike Walk Madison Steering Committee
  www.bikewalkmadison.org
Join our group on Facebook!





On Fri, Oct 8, 2010 at 10:36 AM, <[email protected]> wrote:

The press release is written from a really pro-bike stance (which is
>cool!), but is lacking in information on how this helps officers do their
>jobs more effectively.  Does anyone have a good article on how cops on
>bikes do their jobs better.


      
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