YPD bicycle patrol to start downtown
[B' Spokes: Something we don't want to see in Baltimore neighborhoods. [/sarcasm]]
*********************************************************************************************
By JOE GORMAN
...
Bikes are also good because they can get in some areas a car can not, and they are also good because they make less noise than a cruiser and can surprise criminals.
''You can patrol an area silenty,'' Ross said. ''They have no idea the police are coming.''
Members of the unit, besides Ross and Miller, are officers William Ward, Michael Bodnar, Sonya Wilson and Shakir Perkins.
Ward said bikes gives officers chances to interact and stop crime they do not get on foot or in a cruiser.
''It combines the best of walking beats with high mobility,'' Ward said. ''You get to hear and see stuff you usually don't see.''
Ross said response has been positive. Mary Farragher and Amy Lisi, who help to run the Lemon Grove, both said they welcome the patrols.
''Just having them (police) walking and biking will keep us all safer,'' Lisi said. ''The more visible they are, the safer we all feel, and the safer we all are.''