Santa Maria Police Department adding new bike patrol
By Charlie Misra, KSBY, April 1, 2015
The Santa Maria Police Department is increasing its presence in the community with some new wheels.
Officers won't be riding in new cars, but on old bicycles. Officers say they want to connect more with people in the community and bottom line is, they want to stop more crimes.
There are places around town that a squad car can not get into, but on a bike, they can stay in hot pursuit.
"Great way to get out and enjoy the sunshine and get some exercise and be proactive on the streets," said Santa Maria Police Officer Andres Lopez.
Years ago, Santa Marians would see their local police riding through town. Budget cuts and a smaller staff put a stop to that, but the SMPD's bike patrol is coming back and it'll be bigger than ever.
"It kinda breaks down that barrier that our vehicles create while we're driving around the streets," said Lopez. "So we're able to touch base with people and interact more."
The SMPD brought back the bicycles to combat all crime, including car break-ins, public drunkenness, and illegal homeless camps.
"On a bike, we're able to move around stealthily and catch people in the acts of committing crimes as opposed to being reactive to crime," said Lopez.
The number of bike officers in the department has increased quickly. Just months ago, there were only two who were trained for bike patrol. Now, it's up to 17, with a mark of 30 officers as the final goal.
"We'll try to do our best to patrol the streets and prevent crime before it happens," said Lopez.
The police department says the cost for the program is minimal. The training they get is in-house, so that's free. All the bikes are from storage. They're 12 to 15 years old.
The SMPD will need funding from somewhere for new uniforms and equipment.
They say officers will rotate on and off bike patrol.
The department will add 10 to 12 new officers from its academy in the coming months and plans to hire another 10 officers by January.
Video: http://www.ksby.com/story/28699472/santa-maria-police-adding-new-bike-patrol