MOORPARK : Deputies Seek City’s OK for Bike Patrol
Hoping to get deputies out of their cars and onto the streets, the Moorpark division of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department wants to buy two mountain bikes for patrol officers.
Lt. Martin Rouse, who heads the 20-officer division, said he hopes the Moorpark City Council on Wednesday will approve a plan to start a bicycle patrol for the city.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” Rouse said.
Rouse said the bikes give officers more mobility as well as making them more approachable to residents.
“I think they’re good for public relations because officers in patrol cars are not always as accessible,” he said.
The quietness and mobility of the bikes also can create some crime-fighting advantages. Officers can patrol foot trails that are inaccessible by car, and they can enter areas without being heard by suspects, Rouse said.
Rouse expects that the $2,500 cost of the bikes and equipment will be covered by private donations. Students at the Moorpark Martial Arts Center are planning a daylong “Kick-a-thon” Saturday to raise money, he said.
The only potential obstacle for the new program is that too many deputies are interested in serving on the bike patrol, Rouse said.
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