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Bicycles as a crime-fighting tool

In a story about the effect of crime on people who live in the Illinois counties of the St. Louis metropolitan area, the Belleville News-Democrat mentioned that having police officers on bicycles can be an effective tool in the effort to prevent crime in neighborhoods:

"Bikes are ... more approachable than patrol cars," said Edwardsville Police Maj. Donald Lask. "Sometimes people are more standoffish around a patrol car than (they are) with a bike."

Currently, five Edwardsville police officers are assigned to bike patrol, which offers access to playgrounds, school yards and bike paths.

"A patrol car just cruises around a school," Lask said, emphasizing that because residents tend to connect more easily with cops on two wheels, bike patrols have it all over most community policing tools -- except maybe foot patrols."

It's not surprising to me those remarks came from the Edwardsville Police Department since it's probably the most bike-friendly community in the metro-east, thanks in part to the many Madison County Transit trails that cross that city.

Labels: bicycles, Illinois, safety

Roger 1 comments 8:57 AM

Comments:

Very cool!

# posted by  Yokota Fritz : 11:55 PM

 

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