Police Department Adds Bike Patrol to Bolster Public Safety   

 Lynbrook, NY – The Lynbrook Police Department has launched a bike patrol to bolster its presence in the community and advance its mission of eliminating crime and keeping residents safe.

Police Officer Jaycee Indiviglio recently completed law enforcement bicycle patrol training at the National Bicycle Law Enforcement Academy (NBLEA), graduating number one in a class of 17 police officers.  The specialized training instructed officers on effective bicycle patrol of schools, business districts and residential areas.

“This idea of the addition of a bike patrol is attributed to the ardent support and vision of Deputy Mayor William Hendrick,” said Mayor Brian Curran.  “It is a proven law enforcement and public safety service that will augment the police protection in our Village, increasing the police presence in the community and in areas like our schools and downtown.”

According to the NBLEA bike patrol provides many advantages to law enforcement its battle against crime and work to keep the community safe.  Bike patrol is effective and practical in heavily congested areas such as the business district and can be utilized to patrol outdoor festivals, fairs and other public events.  A bike patrol officer has the advantage of stealth and speed when conducting surveillance investigations, allowing the officer to blend in with the surrounding environment to monitor large gathers etc.

The bike patrol officer can easily be relocated to remote areas by vehicle, and then patrol that area on bike.  This may include targeting areas where burglaries may be on the rise and assistance to emergency operations.  Additionally, in this age of “community policing,” a bike patrol officer is much more accessible to a citizen than a patrol car driving by.

“The bicycle patrol has proven to be an effective tool in deterring criminal activity in other localities” said Lynbrook Police Chief Joseph Neve.  “Lynbrook enjoys a low crime rate and this is another tool that will be used by the Police Department to keep it that way.”

With the new school year in full swing and a return to standard time just around the corner, the Lynbrook Police Department and Police Officer Indiviglio remind families and children to adhere to the following safety tips:

• Choose the safest route from your home to the school and use the most direct route with the fewest street crossings.

• Children under age 10 should walk with an adult or older child every day because they may not be able to judge the speed or distance of oncoming traffic and their peripheral vision is one-third less than most adults.

• Children should know and obey all traffic signals and markings. For example: a flashing "walk" sign is not an automatic "go" signal.

• Children look to the left, look to the right and then look again to the left for moving vehicles before crossing the street.

• Teach children not to enter the street from between parked cars or from behind brushes or shrubs. Darting into the street accounts for 50 to 70 percent of pedestrian injuries among children ages 9 and under.

• Because drivers have a more difficult time seeing pedestrians, teach children to be extra alert in bad weather and after sunset.