SEAL BEACH : Pedal Patrol Is Traveling Right Path

Residents and visitors have gotten used to seeing police officers on two wheels this summer.

For the first time in Seal Beach, police officers have been patrolling on bicycles--and city officials, business owners and residents say the program is working out well.

“I’ve gotten several phone calls from the citizenry in the area as well as visitors, saying they appreciated the patrol,” City Manager Jerry L. Bankston said. “They feel the officers have a better opportunity to view various things that are going on from the vantage of a bicycle seat as opposed to from behind the wheel of a sedan.”

In the past, the Police Department increased its foot patrols during summer months, but the donation of two mountain bikes from the Seal Beach Lions Club and the Seal Beach Business Assn. led to the new program this summer, Police Officer Rick Paap said.

Bicycle patrol hours and locations are decided on a day-to-day basis, depending on what is needed.

“If we’re getting a rash of problems, we send the bikes out,” Paap said. “They’re very effective for the larger crowds during the summer because the cops can really get around much easier on bicycle than by foot or in a motor vehicle. They’re very valuable in this community.”

Paap said the officers who have participated in the bike patrol enjoy it.

“You’re received better by the public than you are in a black and white. It seems to be an important tool,” he said. In addition, officers on bicycles carry more of an element of surprise when approaching people who are drinking in public or engaging in some other illegal activity.

Paap said that the Seal Beach Police Department is just one of many departments to find bicycles a valuable police tool.

“It’s becoming more and more popular,” he said. “The other day I saw about 40 L.A. County sheriffs riding their bikes, so they’re obviously doing some training.”

Paap said the bikes will be phased out in the fall when crowds thin out, but they will be back in the spring.

“I think they’re here to stay,” he said.