Originally Posted by redtires

It's interesting to see everyone's responses here on this topic, although it seems that some tangents have already developed. I also work in law enforcement, and have always been a huge supporter of officers on bikes, but it doesn't work everywhere, and proper training is paramount in making officers as effective as possible. In places like Boulder (Colorado), Seattle, Las Vegas, and other rather congested metro areas, bikes are a great way to access areas not open to motor vehicles and allows officers to cover more area faster than on foot. And I'm sure much to the chagrin of some, giving the officers the ability to ride on sidewalks, in alleyways, etc... is the point. I understand that it's natural to have the outlook that the police should and must obey the laws all citizen's must follow, and even to a higher degree. However, laws and statutes allow for police, fire and rescue personnel to utilize areas illegal for such use by citizens. Bikes used by the police are patrol vehicles and fall under rules for emergency vehicles. Of course, and unfortunately, there will always be some officers that are jerks, and have a "greater than thou" attitude, but I've found that pretty much happens everywhere, in pretty much every profession. And for those of you who have been ticketed (and seriously, I'm not poking fun here at all) yeah, it sucks and you may feel like you didn't deserve it, but when city paramedics plug an I.V. into your buddy (or you!) and drive you to the E.R. and work to save a life....or a police officer takes a drunk driver off the road before he runs over a commuter, part of your ticket (and yeah, your taxes too) paid for that public servant and their equipment.