Garden City Police Commissioner Ernest Cipullo announced that on June 24 the department instituted a bike patrol program. To kick the program off, Commissioner Cipullo introduced Police Officer Steve Roumeliotis as the department's new bicycle patrol officer. Officer Roumeliotis can be seen patrolling on his bicycle in the Seventh Street/Franklin Avenue shopping and business districts. Officer Roumeliotis completed a rigorous 40-hour bicycle patrol certification course.

Bicycle patrol provides greater speed and mobility through congested areas better than conventional patrol methods such as car and foot patrols. This is especially important when officers respond to calls for assistance, such as medical aid cases, traffic complaints and parking complaints.

Bicycle patrol is also instrumental in promoting pedestrian safety. Officer Roumeliotis has already issued tickets to motorists for not yielding to pedestrians who were walking in crosswalks along Seventh Street. Parking violations such as double parking, blocking crosswalks and red zone violations can cause traffic delays and much public inconvenience.

In some of these cases, because of its flexibility, bicycle patrol can address these violations better than conventional patrol methods. Bicycle patrol also provides a deterrent to youth activity and other law enforcement problems that are encountered in business and shopping districts.

Bicycle patrol officers on their bicycles can see over the heads of most pedestrians and over many vehicles, which gives the officer a greater view of the area he patrols. Commissioner Cipullo added, "Bicycle patrol also affords business owners and pedestrians the opportunity to interact with the bike patrol officer in an effort to provide solutions to law enforcement issues."