Moorpark police add new equipment to bike team

Last year the Moorpark Police Bicycle Team was reformed after a 5-year leave of absence. The patrol team worked nine, 8-hour shifts and made 29 arrests.

Many of the arrests consisted of these violations: illegal fireworks, urinating in public, drinking in public, illegal solicitor, trespassing, graffiti vandalism and theft.

This year the city of Moorpark has funded the purchase and equipping of brand new police bicycles. With the expertise and generosity of RAGATZ bicycles in Santa Paula, the police department was able to add three new fullyequipped specialized bicycles and two additional donated police bicycles to the unit.

The new bikes are specially built for the rigors of police work and are designed for high performance riding on and off the road.

Bikes are equipped with a police package lighting system which includes red, blue, and white strobe lights; siren; pedal retention system; suspension system; cyclometer; equipment bags, and state-of-the-art components to aid the officers with their duties.

The team has 15 certified bike officers who share eight fullyequipped police bicycles. The bike patrol operates part time throughout the year and can ride in nearly all types of weather. The bike team usually operates as a two-person team except during special events. All bike officers are certified through a Peace Officer Standards and Training Bicycle Patrol School.

Bike patrol officers wear green shorts and a tan polo shirt bearing sheriff's insignia. Their helmets are white with sheriff's insignia on the sides. During cool weather, the officers will wear green bike pants and a jacket with embroidered badges and "SHERIFF" embroidered across the back.

Bike unit equipment, training, and deployment are funded by the city of Moorpark.

The bike patrol members include Senior Dep. Bob Berger and deputies Bobby Burckhard, Miguel Gonzalez, Tim Lohman, Leonard Lopez, Mike Rompal, Cesar Salas, Amy Ward, Jerin Widofsky, Erik Stadler, Chris Starks, Meagan Yates, Chris Love, Theo Langford and James Tedder.