Bike patrols target crime in Poway

By: SARAH WILKINS - Staff Writer | Sunday, March 2, 2008 9:27 PM PST ∞

POWAY ---- A collection of bikes that once gathered dust behind the Poway Sheriff's Station has become deputies' newest tool in stopping crime and reaching out to residents.

The six bikes now form a fleet for patrol officers to scour the city day and night, fighting graffiti, car theft, public drunkenness and other crimes, said Deputy Jorge Dueno, who launched the program last month.

Dueno said he also hopes the bike patrols will help bring deputies in closer contact with residents who may be intimidated by the black-and-white patrol cars.

"We want this to be high-profile and low-profile," he said. "The bike deputies are out there for the community to see. There's something about the cop car that's not threatening when we have a bike. People, kids approach you more.

"We want to address everything from public relations to enforcement," he said.

Still, the bikes have their limitations: patrol cars have fingerprint kits and additional weapons, and allow officers to get to the scene of a crime faster, Dueno said. Officers in cars, rather than bikes, are dispatched to the scenes of violent crimes or those in progress because cars provide officers with protection that the bicycles do not, he said.

Training for the program includes riding up and down stairs, safety and live-fire exercises, Dueno said. The bicycle patrols last several hours and leave deputies a little sore, but in good shape, he said with a laugh.

Three officers are currently certified for the patrols; Dueno said he hopes to have 10 to 12 officers certified to ride by the summer.

The bicycle patrols focus on the central part of the city near Poway Road, Dueno said. Because the bikes are more inconspicuous than patrol cars, officers can head into out-of-the-way spots in parking lots and parks where graffiti and other crimes occur, allowing them to catch more criminals in the act, he said.

Starting the program cost about $700 in repairs and cleanup to the black-and-white Raleigh F-500 patrol bicycles, which had been purchased by the Sheriff's Department nearly a decade ago, but were practically unused, Dueno said. Deputies also use one unmarked bicycle to ride undercover, he said.

During the five patrols conducted so far, officers have made three arrests, recovered a stolen vehicle and cited multiple other law-breakers, Dueno said. A patrol last week led deputies to four 5-foot marijuana plants growing in plain sight on the front porch of an apartment unit near Midland Road, deputies said.

Deputies on bicycles happen upon more crimes, and are "constantly picking up on things, and riding into things," Dueno said.

"Being in a (patrol car) is like being in a cocoon," said Lt. Dennis Yoshonis, who is one of the three certified officers who participates in the patrols. "People tell us about things that otherwise they wouldn't call the Sheriff's Department about."

The program is run though the station's Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving unit, but deputies from all units can participate, Dueno said.

The fleet also includes several mountain bikes, which Dueno said will be used on Iron Mountain, a popular trail where hikers are often stranded after falling victim to dehydration in summer months.

Contact staff writer Sarah Wilkins at (760) 740-3524 or swilkins@nctimes.com.