Photograph by George Sakkestad
Ron Dunn (left) and Tim Stephens of the LGPD patrolled the Great Race on their bicycles.
By Shari Kaplan
When the Los Gatos Kiwanis Club and Los Gatos' new bike shop, WheelSmith, pooled their money and resources recently, the Los Gatos Police Department gained two new bicycles for its Bike Patrol Unit.
Ringleader was Kiwanian Sheldon Smith, an avid biker himself and chairman of the town's Trails and Bikeways Committee. During last fall's dedication of the Lark Avenue bridge for pedestrians and bikers, Smith chatted with LGPD reserve commander Ron Dunn--who is also in charge of the bike patrol--and learned that the department could benefit from some additional bikes.
Smith connected with his friend Rick Hjertberg, founder and co-owner of WheelSmith, a specialty bike service and supply shop that began in Palo Alto 22 years ago and opened its Los Gatos store on University Avenue during the summer of 1996. Smith also pitched the idea to Kiwanis Club president Rusty Rinehart and fellow members about meeting the shop halfway in donating to the police bike patrol.
The Kiwanis Club's own connection to bicycles includes the Quicksilver Century ride, an annual fall fundraiser for the Kiwanis Club and the American Lung Association.
In addition to its four older bikes, the police department now has two new 21-speed mountain bikes completely outfitted by WheelSmith for police use; included are a rear rack, a repair kit, a water bottle and battery-operated lights on the front and back. Among other special-interest groups, the shop has been outfitting U.S. Olympic bicyclists since 1984.
The bike patrol is an important part of Los Gatos police services, according to Dunn, who said the program began about a year ago with six reserve officers patrolling trails and bikeways from Lexington Reservoir all the way to the town's border with Campbell. Bike officers also supplemented rangers' presence in parks.
"Because the trails are considered remote insofar as we can't get [police] cars out there, that limited our ability to patrol those areas. We saw a real need to have patrols on those trails," explained Dunn, a 22-year veteran of the reserve force. Reservists are unpaid sworn officers who do everything regular officers do.
The bike patrol program was so well received, Dunn said, that it now consists of six regular officers along with six reserve officers. Officers are no longer limited to trails but bike around town as well, especially during crowded events such as parades, concerts or community functions.
"Bikes are much more maneuverable in downtown, especially when traffic is heavy. They're also easier to move among people, and people can relate to the officers better," Dunn added.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, March 5, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.