Bike Patrol Won’t Be Glitzy, Just Effective : * Dana Point Officers Will Cover More Ground and Be More Accessible on 2 Bicycles

Dana Point’s new police bicycle patrol does not use spandex biking shorts as they do in Las Vegas. Things are a bit more glitzy along the Strip. But even with the green cotton shorts, the gloves and helmets, police on the two mountain bikes will be a welcome sight.

That’s especially so for a waterfront community that has Doheny and Capistrano beaches, and that has some neighborhoods not readily accessible, such as the Lantern District. Lt. Dan Martini, a sheriff’s deputy who is Dana Point’s police chief, hit on the idea during a visit to Las Vegas last year, and the City Council agreed with his argument that bicycles would make police more mobile and less intimidating in residential districts.

Two officers will make up the patrol, and the 15 patrol officers who work in Dana Point will be asked to train so that they too can use the equipment.

Other cities, including Paramount in Los Angeles County, and Seattle have tailored such units to their needs. Newport Beach, another community with lots of action along the waterfront, plans by spring to have three officers on patrol on the Balboa Peninsula, Balboa Island, in Corona del Mar and other parts of the city.

Police can respond more quickly, cover more ground, and they are more accessible to ordinary citizens on their bikes. The success of such patrols in dealing with car thefts, vandalism and minor crime is proven in some places.

This is an interesting idea that probably will keep the street vandals on their toes, and is especially good for combatting mischief in apartment complexes and parking lots. Santa Ana occasionally has used bike patrols successfully, so such programs are not necessarily limited to beach communities.

The old song, “I Cover the Waterfront” has taken on a new meaning in Dana Point. Are you listening, mischief-makers?