I came back from running errands at lunch to see two Raleigh Police officers patrolling the neighborhood on bikes.

“I’m glad to see y’all out!” I told them and waved as they passed by. They seemed pretty happy to be out, too.

The office for most cops is their car. Cops on bikes have the great outdoors! The odds a thief could win a footchase with a cop on the biking beat would be pretty low, too, I imagine.

One of the things I noticed last year in Holland and Australia is how accessible police in those countries seem to be. They’re visible. They walk the sidewalks. They’re interacting with the citizenry. American cops spend too much time in their cars. Cars may get them around faster but they get quantity at the expense of quality.

Having police cruising their beats on bicycles builds stronger community ties and that makes everyone safer.