Published December 10 2015
Bellevue's police bike patrol is back. The City Council on Monday voted to add funding for four bike patrol officers and a corporal (supervisor) to the mid-biennium budget.
The former bike patrol unit operated from the early '90s until it was eliminated during the 2011 budgetary process as a result of the last economic downturn. Bike patrol officers will be selected for the new unit sometime in January, and trained during the first quarter of 2016.
Police Chief Steve Mylett said, "I would like to thank the City Council and City Manager Brad Miyake for their tremendous display of support in restoring funding for our bicycle patrol unit. This proactive unit will be a powerful tool in our downtown core as well as our many parks and our bike paths and trails."
Bike patrol officers can conduct patrols in areas not easily accessible by patrol vehicles, including: parks, trails, waterfront, wooded areas, in and around special events, and areas with a high volume of foot and vehicular traffic, such as downtown.