This program is designed to get the officer out of the cruiser and place him/her in an environment where they patrol in a particular area and establish contact with the residents.
Officers assigned to this patrol park their police vehicle in a safe location, remove their bicycle from a rack in the rear of the cruiser, and patrol a specific area. The officer is encouraged to make contact with at least one member of the particular neighborhood. Should an officer receive a call to respond to a location that is not in the immediate area of their patrol, they will return to their cruiser, load the bike, and travel to the call.
This program accomplishes several goals; first, the officer attracts young people living in the area and engages them in conversation; second, it is a method to patrol areas in a manner that would not bring attention to him. If a potential criminal is looking for a marked police cruiser to drive by, the officer on the bicycle has that measure of surprise.