Moorpark Bicycle Team to Patrol the City

From the Moorpark Police Department:

Residents of the City of Moorpark will soon be seeing the Moorpark Bicycle Team deployed throughout neighborhoods and business districts in our community.  Using existing staffing, we are deploying bike teams who will perform specialized, focused patrol and respond to calls for service.

Bicycle patrol officers are an important component of the Moorpark Police Department’s strategy for accomplishing its enforcement objectives.  This is due partly to their mobility and stealth as well as their ability to facilitate a variety of law enforcement and crime prevention operations.  The bicycle patrol program provides the City of Moorpark with a community-oriented crime prevention tool.  While designed to handle specific police related responsibilities, overall the goal of this program is to facilitate a partnership between law enforcement and the community.  Bike patrols are also advantageous in community policing efforts because they are generally perceived well by the community and there is a better exchange of information and ideas with the public.

We have equipped marked patrol vehicles with hitches and bike racks to allow for ease of deployment.  Each bicycle is equipped with many of the same items found in a police vehicle including first aid supplies and numerous other items needed for an officer to perform his or her duties.  It is our belief that officers on bicycles will afford our members an effective method of detecting crime and apprehending criminals while still allowing them the opportunity to communicate with our residents more frequently than occurs when patrolling in a police vehicle.

The bike patrol will operate on a part-time basis throughout the year and will be capable of riding in nearly all weather conditions.  The bike team will generally operate as a two person team unless they are deployed during a special event.

The primary objectives of this program include: enhancing community relations; crime prevention; and enforcing laws while patrolling residential, business, and park areas.  The Moorpark Police Department Bike Patrol Unit and its deputies are dedicated to serving the needs of the community with pride and professionalism.