TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In a neighborhood grappling with an increase in drug-related incidents and trespassing, the Tucson Police Department has reintroduced bike patrols to the city's Northside in a six-month pilot project. The initiative aims to combat rising crime rates that have adversely affected local businesses in the area.
The designated hotspots span between Grant and Oracle, as well as on Wetmore between Stone and First.
Patrol Captain Corey Doggett of the Tucson Police Department highlighted the advantages of the bike patrol approach, stating, "Being on a bicycle allows you to hear more things, see more things, and just have person-to-person contact."
The pilot project, implemented three months ago, has already shown promising results in enhancing community safety.
"Business owners that are seeing more bicycle officers, at least to our estimation, have told us that they really appreciate the face-to-face contact," remarked Patrol Captain Corey Doggett.
Ronald Yousefnejad, owner of Prestige Fitness, a business that has been in the same location for 15 years, expressed gratitude for the positive changes brought about by the bike patrol.
"The bike patrol has been a huge help, and it’s drastically cleaned up the area," stated Yousefnejad. "Since the bike patrol has started, that has really changed drastically. They really did a great job cleaning up the water station close to us and cleaning up the bus area where a lot of these people would congregate."
According to Patrol Captain Corey Doggett, overall crime numbers are down, attributing the success to the program's emphasis on direct engagement rather than passive observation.
"The benefit to the program is that people see the officers engaging directly, not just trying to drive by," added Doggett.
As the pilot program continues to yield positive outcomes, there are hopes to expand its reach into residential areas in the future.
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