Pico Rivera Using Sheriff’s Bike Patrols to Help Fight Crime

HELLO! Deputy Monica Grana and Deputy Brandon Longoria patrol Pico Rivera streets. The patrols have proven to be very effective in fighting crime, in other cities bike patrol officers arrest many more unsuspecting criminals than car patrols.

December 2, 2021

By Brian Hews

Public safety is something that the Pico Rivera Sheriff’s Department’s deputies take very seriously with personnel always looking for innovative ways to increase patrols around the City.

Last month, the Station added one more patrolling tool to their tool box: Bicycles. The Sheriff’s Department trained patrol Deputies, Reserve Deputies, and Volunteers to take part in the new patrolling efforts.

Bicycle patrols in cities have returned to the forefront of policing in the past 3 to 5 years.

Reasons for this include low-cost installation and maintenance and higher arrest rates per officer.

For example, bicycle officers in Phoenix and Seattle have as many as five times more arrests than officers on other types of patrol.

Within days of the program’s roll-out, two patrolling bicycle deputies made a significant arrest at the Walmart parking lot.

A suspect who was a known narcotics user was detained by the bicycle patrolling deputies. Upon further investigation, it turned out the suspect had outstanding warrants for multiple sex crimes. The suspect was arrested and taken into Sheriff’s custody.

Because bicycle patrol officers wear an altered police uniform, they blend into crowds. Offenders are not accustomed to seeing police officers on bicycles and may be taken by surprise.

The Pico Rivera Sheriff’s Bike Patrol is often used as a resource to patrol areas that are difficult to access, such as bike trails, parks, and riverbeds. The Bike Patrol is also used for local shopping centers, neighborhoods with specific concerns that may benefit from the Bike Patrol, and city events such as concerts, parades, and celebrations.

The Station’s Bike Patrol is a resource that can be used day or night. According to Captain Hutak, the Station’s Bike patrol has a number of advantages, including the ability for Deputies to engage in closer connection to the community, bring Sheriff’s Department visibility to local events, and increase public safety patrolling Pico Rivera’s outdoor spaces.

The cost to equip and train a bicycle patrol averages between $1,000 and $1,485 per officer.