' APD [Albuquerque] placing 22 bike officers throughout the city'
 

https://www.abqjournal.com/1344443/a...-the-city.html
Do these guys do any good? I see them around, haven't seen them addressing any crime. The shared-use trails are safer than the rest of Albuquerque. Homeless living on them are the only problem. I almost ran over one at night

Think about how much more aware of our surroundings that we are when we're on a bike as opposed to in a car. While cycling, I am very aware of my surroundings. I believe that it is the same way for LEOs. It is also a good visible presence.

My wife and I were in Chattanooga for a few nights several years back. While out on the patio of a downtown restaurant, I counted something like 5 cop cars with their lights going for no reason. I asked our waitress "Why the light show?" She told us that groups of "hooligans" would come into downtown and cause problems, so that was the cities response to the problem.... Squad cars with lights running.

1. Just because you haven't seen them "addressing" crime doesn't mean they haven't been. (Personally, I have seen bike cops collar at least one suspect.) And mere police presence can deter criminal acts.

2. As the headline and article point out, their patrols are not limited to trails.

3. As the article also points out, police interaction with community members is important. Much easier to talk with a bike cop than a cop in a patrol car.

They're basically beat cops with a somewhat extended capacity to patrol. Their role is primarily deterrence and community relations. You put these guys where you want a visible police presence. The cars are for rapid response. I mostly see bike cops in downtown areas or other business districts.

Not sure what you mean exactly by "addressing crime". Outside of pulling people over for speeding, most times I see any police officers who ride in cars, they're just driving around. I generally try not to be at an active crime scene.

I would prefer to see bicycle cops running 'undercover' and going after aggressive drivers.

CA has started to do that with their motorcycle cops. They'll go lane splitting, looking like any other bike, and nab those ******* drivers that think it's their job to keep motorcycles 'in their lane'. :D

I am, but cops are masters of oblivion.

They like to flock together, especially if they can turn their lights on.

Yes. I rarely see any cops addressing crime - good thing, too. I was just pointing out that I haven't seen them do it, and I'm on bicycle a lot.

You're 1 ahead of me.

Yes. I don't know that on bicycle makes them more present. I suspect less, the case with bicyclists in general.

I just meant to point out that the shared-use trails, best served on bike, aren't a particular problem.

Albuquerque's cops shoot people. I avoid them.

Just that I see them around, haven't seen them in action, while I have seen car and foot police in action.

That's a better idea. Better yet, a cop not loaded up with all that hardware, who keeps an eye out, calls in the armed cops if s/he sees a problem. We have a lot of porch pirates and some homeless people in our neighborhood. A cop witnessing their thefts could be effective.

Sorry but not all are. That includes my family and friends that are in law enforcement.

I guess that I should have clarified that this was over a several block range.

Oh, and welcome to the ignore club too.

Why are you sorry?

You're the president?

Funny. I love seeing folks announce "I am ignoring you" as if that has any effect on the ignoree, and the mere announcement is an indicator that they were not ignored.

And of course, the real irony... here, folks on "ignore lists" still show in replies to others.

What's an 'ignore list'?

You'll have to ask the folks that put others on "ignore." I just think the whole concept is weird... especially to announce. "You're on ignore... " as if THAT means anything.

Another funny non-issue is the silly posts that make it easy for others to ignore with just one glance due to their ignorable content being wrapped in hey-look-at-me visual idiosyncrasies (large or colored fonts, scads of nested quote boxes, goofball smilies, and/or verbose signatures listing their pets or other nonsense)

Actually, it means I'm ignoring that person from now on, not that I've been ignoring them up to that point. I find there's some people I'm better off not getting sucked into any more stupid arguments with, and making the big show of slamming down the telephone forces me to actually ignore the person going forward or look like an idiot.

I've got a few trolls on my list who are obviously on a bunch of others--all I can see is that they post something occasionally, and no one responds to them at all.

That's what I wanted him to do. In the bad old days I had to tell annoying people to go away. Don't go away mad - just go away. Now they do it unprompted - yay!

Don't get me wrong--your generalizations about cops are kind of on the lamely offensive side.

Or pictures of smiling cats?

Why make any kind of announcement? This is the internet. We've all been warned before. Don't feed the trolls with any kind of response.

I know who's trying to taunt me too.

I just find it easier to let go of it with a little "closure.". It's my reason, you don't have to like it.

/ignore.


Just kidding, I don't mind you disagreeing with me.

Anyhoo, back on topic...:innocent:

Maybe the sheer presence, or the known presence, of the cops on the trails and parks is enough to deter any nefarious and illicit activities. Maybe.

These cops are on street patrol, not necessarily trails and parks. Not a lot of commercial burglaries and car thefts on trails and in parks.

Cops on bicycles provides them a first hand view of how some motorist treat cyclist. Even in cop uniform, many motorist are too clueless to notice the uniform before doing something stupid. Cops seeing the view we see, rather than just a squad car view is a very good thing for cycling.

Ya mean not all cops are clueless about the law, gun toting thugs out to hassle sweet innocent bicycle riders? That is good to know!

I bike for a college police dept. I get a lot of interaction with the community because Im more accessible to people as indyfabz points out.

I go places officers rarely go. Its more than just PR.

I was inspired by the DC police & NPS police who I see ride all year including winter.

We have some bike patrol officers. They say the bikes are great. They can quietly roll right up to crooks doing something wrong, because the crooks dont hear them coming!