SANTA ANA : Bicycle Officers Thank the Real Spokes People

Ed McKie takes special pride in waving to the neighborhood police officers who pass his apartment window every day on their bicycles. McKie, president of the French Court Neighborhood Assn., helped buy those bicycles.

The City Council this week presented certificates of recognition to McKie and other representatives of three neighborhood associations for buying six mountain bicycles for Santa Ana police officers.

The groups contributed more than $2,700 after learning that the city had received a $1.5 million federal grant to hire more community-based police officers, but no money for bicycles.

Community-based policing strives to build ties with residents by getting officers out of patrol cars and into neighborhoods on foot or on bikes.

“You take all the metal away from the police cars, and you’re person to person,” said Sgt. Ed Andrade.

The community approach is also effective, apparently, in preventing crime. At Monday’s meeting, Council Member Robert L. Richardson said that overall crime in the areas where the 15 new officers are deployed has dropped by 53%.

The Floral Park Neighborhood Assn. contributed $1,500 for three bicycles, and the French Park Neighborhood Assn. donated money for one more.

McKie said he and two other French Court residents contributed $150 each to the bike fund, and their neighborhood association kicked in $300.

“Sometimes you have to dig a little bit deeper,” McKie said. “You can’t expect taxes to pay for everything.”