BREA : A Different Path for Patrol Team

Catching criminals while wearing shorts and T-shirts and riding bicycles may not sit well with the guys from “Lethal Weapon,” but Sgt. Gary Drlik and his officers don’t mind.

What the cat wears doesn’t matter, as long as he catches mice, Drlik says.

The Brea Police Department’s bike patrol team has been catching “mice” since it was formed in October, on a trial basis, as a way of bringing the police closer to the people as well as more effectively patrolling shopping centers, apartment complexes and schools. It was also created to target graffiti, gangs and drug activities.

Officers on bike patrol wear dark blue shorts and golf shirts, helmet, gloves and glasses. For protection, each wears a bulletproof vest, a radio with lapel microphones, a baton and a side arm.

The casual appearance was intended to make the officer more approachable and less intimidating to the community. In a subtle way, Drlik said, it was also intended to promote bike riding as a hobby and wearing a helmet for safety.

In October, the City Council allocated $15,000 to buy seven bikes and equipment for the unit, composed of three sergeants and 12 officers. The money came from the seized drug assets.

After two months, Drlik said the unit is a success--both as a public relations tool and as a law enforcement arm.

“It’s a successful operation for us,” said Drlik, who heads one of the three five-man teams. “I think we have been especially effective in deterring crime. Women shoppers, for example, come to us at night and say: ‘I feel safe walking to my car knowing that you are here.’ ”

Just hours after their first deployment to the malls on Nov. 27, officers Dave Coovert and Stewart McCarroll made their first arrest. They were patrolling the Brea Mall parking lot when they noticed a man, about 30 years old, sitting in his car and watching shoppers walk by.

The two officers rode by, jotted down the car’s license plate, radioed headquarters to run a check on it and found that the vehicle was stolen from the city of Orange.

In no time, the man, found later to be high on drugs, was arrested and booked for auto theft.

“We have the ability to move in places where it would be hard for a patrol car,” Drlik said. “We can respond quicker and move without the suspects even noticing us.”

Since Nov. 27, Drlik said, the team has recovered two stolen vehicles, made three narcotics arrests, arrested three juveniles for “tagging” and has interviewed from 70 to 100 people for various offenses.

Bike patrol officers are on duty from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, it’s from 5 to 10 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays.

Drlik said more than 400 man hours have been spent so far by the bike team.

Sgt. Bill Vukelich, who heads another five-man team, said the community response has been favorable.

“This is back to the basics of police work--the personal contact with the people,” said Vukelich, a 25-year veteran of the force.