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Cop Alert: Cops alert for the needs of people who bike

Here’s to community-oriented policing becoming the norm, with every community having the leadership and necessary resources—especially the right number of well-trained officers—to make genuine community-oriented policing possible. Among the benefits of community-oriented policing is that cops—constables of the peace—are empowered to recognize and proactively address community challenges of many different types.

Cops see people’s needs and in many cases can refer them to local resources that provide help—such as food, health care, parenting support, domestic violence programs, clothing, educational resources, and even transportation resources, including bicycling resources.

And sometimes cops take it on themselves to provide help personally.

You don’t hear about that as much as you hear about cops who discredit this honorable profession—and yes, such cops must be held accountable. That minority harms citizens they swore to serve and protect. They also subject good police officers to unwarranted mistrust and increased risk of harm.

Often that disgraceful minority overshadows the hundreds of thousands of good cops on duty in our nation of over 322 million people. Every day honorable people who work in law enforcement are watching out for the well-being of diverse people in our communities.

Here are just a few examples.

Greenfield cops at Civic Ctr - Aug 2012 IMAG0411

And no, the cops listed below aren’t among the many who brighten the holiday season by giving away hundreds of bikes to youth in their towns. That’s very cool too! You’ll find such cops in Monterey County; e.g., Soledad Police, as highlighted in Bicycling Monterey’s Constables of the Peace / Cops on Bikes.

The examples below are simply…

Everyday quiet heroes

alert to the needs of individuals in their communities
These examples include some Monterey County cops and some from elsewhere in California, but you can find their counterparts nationwide. Wherever you spot them, please take a little time to express your gratitude to cops like these.

#communitypolicing bike

#communitypolicing bicycle

Below: Salinas Police Department officers at Ciclovia Salinas, Monterey County’s first Open Streets location.

Cops at Ciclovia 2015

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This post was published on 22 September 2016. One or more changes last made to this post on 27 October 2021.

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