Escondido’s Bicycle Patrol

Officers Russ Whitaker (left) and Michael Duong emerge from an alley in downtown Escondido. Photo by Charlie Neuman originally posted on signonsandiego.com

North County’s city of Escondido has found that one of the most effective ways to patrol the city’s streets is on a bicycle.

SignonSanDiego.com has a good writeup of the City’s history of bicycle patrolling and why it is such an effective tool in fighting crime:

The bike officers’ ability to patrol areas where cars can’t goes a long way toward stopping crime, Lt. Craig Carter said.

Besides its effectiveness in reaching areas that is otherwise difficult to reach or patrol by automobile, patrolling by bicycle is both cost effective and a more visible presence for the city’s residents and will go a long way in deterring crime. One hopes that this model will be used in other cities throughout the county.