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Wasco cops using pedal
power
By Chris Ramirez, cramirez@bakersfield.com
January 6, 2001, 10:50 PM
PST
WASCO — Wasco is a different town when seen from
a bicycle than it is from behind the wheel of a squad
car, says Jose Perez, a sheriff's deputy in the northern
Kern County town.
"The business owners and residents all want you to
know what's going on when you pull up on a bike," Perez
said. "It's like you're easier to talk to."
Perez coordinates the bike patrol program in Wasco
for the sheriff's department. He and seven other deputies
take turns pedaling through every segment of the four-square-mile
community, through busy streets, residential areas and
dark back alleys.
"We can do a lot — traffic stops, vandalisms,
assaults," Perez said. "We're sheriff's deputies, but
we're just using a different type of vehicle."
The program has helped reduce crime while boosting
the department's visibility to residents, said Sgt.
Jess Baker, who heads the Wasco substation.
"It gives deputies and residents access to each other,"
Baker said. "You need that in law enforcement."
Bike patrols are conducted fairly frequently in this
community, usually in two-person squads.
The busiest times are during high school football games,
parades and the annual Festival of Roses.
Perez said they often are on the scene during sweeps
conducted to crack down on probation violators and people
with warrants outstanding.
The sheriff's department began running bike patrols
in the rural areas in 1992.
Sheriff's substations in Lamont, McFarland and east
Bakersfield also have bike patrols.
Bakersfield, Delano and Shafter are among the municipal
agencies that use patrol bikes during special events.
With 21 speeds and a starting sale price of $1,000,
the deputies' mountain bikes aren't your typical two-wheelers.
They're made of light-weight metals and some models
are fitted with extra-quiet gears, making it easier
to sneak up on suspects.
Costs for the bikes can increase, depending on the
amenities and features a department requests.
Sheriff's personnel have to complete an eight-hour
training course before they can use the bikes on patrol.
Using the bikes makes a big difference when deputies
interact with the public, Perez said.
"They see you as regular people, not just as a guy
in a car who might not get out and talk to them," Perez
said. "People feel more comfortable seeing us (on bikes)."
Not everyone is happy to see them ride up, however.
Such was the case in a traffic stop a year ago.
In that instance, a bike patrol team noticed a van
run a stop sign.
The bike team was able to catch up to the van about
two blocks later by slipping through narrow alleys and
cutting corners in ways a patrol car could not.
After pulling the van over, deputies uncovered thousands
of dollars in stolen stereo equipment, as well as drug
paraphernalia.
"We've broken up drug deals, several of them," Perez
said. "We can ride right up and be right on top of them
in no time. You can't do that so easily in a car."
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