Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Deputy sheriffs Mark Eastus (left) and Doug Havig don their bike patrol uniforms and try out their new mode of transportation.

'Mounted police' debut this week in Saratoga

Deputies begin bike patrol

By Michelle Alaimo

Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies have a new mode of transportation: mountain bikes.

The deputies will debut their bikes at the Hometown Fourth celebration at Villa Montalvo on July 4. This will be the beginning of "mounted policemen" in Saratoga.

The deputies will be easy to identify; they will wear regular uniform shirts and black padded biking shorts that have the word "sheriff" embroidered on the left leg. Deputy Doug Havig from the Saratoga substation said deputies must be "easily recognizable as police officers."

The bikes will have packs over the back wheels to hold first aid kits, bike repair tools, routine paperwork and ticket books.

"It's going to be another real good way to do patrol enforcement in Saratoga," Deputy Kristen Tarabetz said.

Tarabetz said she looks forward to using the bikes as a faster way to patrol Saratoga Village parking. Currently, she parks her patrol car on Big Basin Way and walks down one side of the street and back up the other, ticketing cars that have been parked for more than two hours. If she receives a call while patrolling the Village on foot, she must run back up the street to her car. Now, she will be able to hop on her bike and take the call. The bike will offer her greater mobility than her car and greater speed than walking.

While on bike detail, deputies can issue tickets and will call in a regular patrol unit to handle severe problems or disturbances.

The money for the bike program came from last year's Citizens Options for Public Safety (COPS) fund. Six bikes were purchased, two of them for routine use in Saratoga. But Havig said all six bikes could be used for a Saratoga event, if the need arises. The completely outfitted bikes cost about $1,000 each, Havig added.

Care and maintenance of the bikes, as well as safety and patrol tips, are covered in a 30-hour mandatory training program.

The Saratoga substation is seeking certification from the state of California to hold regular in-house training sessions. "There are a lot of little things they teach you that as a bike owner that you just don't know," Havig said.

Havig and Tarabetz are enthusiastic about the bike program.

"It's a very positive contact with people," Havig said. "It's been a great success in other places, and it should be here, too."

Sarah Stanek contributed to this report.

[ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ]