Bike Patrol In Silver Spring Reduces Crime

Silver Spring, MD - It's a new twist on policing , dedicating officers to a bicycle unit full-time to fight crime.

Montgomery County police are doing just that in Silver Spring and it appears to be working.
Police say robberies and assaults are both down since the unit hit the street August first.

"In a small, urban area like Silver Spring, it's pretty much the best deterrent," Captain Alan Goldberg says about the bicycle unit.

Outfitted with gps units, these bicycle patrol officers can circumvent the traffic on Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road and get where they're going quickly. They've even been able to break up flash mobs before they really got started.

"There's just not the problems we had earlier this summer," Goldberg says.

The officers, who were specifically selected for this unit, say being proactive is a real plus in areas like Silver Spring where crowds tend to swell on Friday and Saturday nights.

"We can get to areas that we couldn't if we were caged in a patrol car. We go into alleys, on the sidewalks, and we can use all of our senses to get ahead of crime," Officer Kevin Sullivan says.

Regular visitors say they feel safer, with the bike unit on the job.

"At one time, it was getting kind of rough in Silver Spring on the weekend," Karen Washington says. "It's much better now."

Debby Leopold likes it too.

"I walk all around the area. I see the officers on their bikes and I feel safe,"Leopold says.

Captain Goldberg expects this new urban style policing to spread, now that the Silver Spring Bike Unit is having so much success.

"It's just back to basics," Goldberg says. "You need to know who you're policing."