Photograph by Mark Kocina
Sheriff's deputy Pete Evangel (left) talks with sheriff's Sgt. Nick Perusina while on bike patrol. The bikes make it easier for deputies to interact with citizens, said Evangel, who is paid overtime wages to conduct the special patrol.
City chips in grant money to fund summer pedal patrol
By Rebecca Ray
Sheriff's deputy Pete Evangel hops on his bike and rides through downtown Saratoga after being cooped up doing office work at the West Valley Substation. But he's not going home, not yet. Evangel is one of three deputies from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office who are putting in overtime hours patrolling Saratoga on bicycles.
The two other deputies, who are reserve deputies at the headquarters station in downtown San Jose, patrol all the off-road trails near Parker Ranch Road. They also patrol areas surrounding The Mountain Winery on Pierce Road, and Wardell Road.
The idea for the bike patrol formed a few months ago. Former substation Capt. Jeff Miles, who became commander of the field enforcement bureau in June, wanted additional coverage for downtown Saratoga and the trails near Parker Ranch Road. According to Evangel, one of the best ways to cover an area is on a bike.
Evangel said officers who patrol on bikes are more accessible to the public than officers who patrol in cars. Also, unlike car officers, officers on bikes can stop without impeding traffic.
On a couple of occasions during commute hours, Evangel said he responded more quickly to calls--reported as emergencies--on his bike than did deputies in a patrol car.
Evangel usually patrols three or four nights a week, depending on his regular work schedule, and patrols three to four hours each shift. He said that what he most enjoys about the job is meeting people, and that so far, he has had no negative experiences.
Within the first two days on the job, a driver stopped Evangel on Big Basin Way, near Sixth Street, and asked if he'd seen a stuffed gorilla on the side of the road. The driver's son, who looked to be 3 or 4 years old, had hung the gorilla out the car window and dropped it. Evangel hadn't seen the gorilla, but told the driver he'd let him know if he did. Later that evening, Evangel found the gorilla in the Bank of America parking lot, three and a half blocks away. He eventually returned it to the grateful family.
The sheriff's office paid for the bike patrol until July 18 when the city council authorized it to be funded by state block-grant money. The $8,820 in state money was surplus from the 1999 fiscal year and has been going toward the bike patrol officers' overtime salaries.
The grant money will last until early September, when the bike patrol is scheduled to end. It won't continue after that because of difficulties involved with riding a bike in bad weather, Evangel said.
Evangel, who volunteered to do bike patrol downtown this year, said he would volunteer for the duty if the sheriff's office does it again next summer.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
