When Jack Brown, 20, and Acelia Soto, 18, were arrested for car burglary on Jan. 25, it wasn’t a result of a tip or standard vehicle patrolling.

Police officers on bicycles noticed several cars had been broken into and called for back up. Only then were Brown and Soto arrested.

An officer in a patrol car would not have noticed the same things that the officers on the bicycles did, said Sgt. Kelly Clark of the campus police.

While Sacramento State has always had a police bicycle program of some type, more emphasis is being placed on it this semester.

“The biggest benefit to us is it gets our officers into the campus community,” Clark said. “It’s just been an awesome program.”

There are now three officers assigned to the bicycles, an increase over recent semesters.

All officers assigned to the bicycles volunteered for it and they took a 40-hour training program to get certified. “Most are enthusiasts already,” Clark said.

Paul Skriniy is one of the bicycle officers and said he feels he is doing the right thing. He recently caught someone with a stolen bicycle on campus in a place where a patrol car could not have been.

“I can approach people faster than in other ways,” Skriniy said.

Skriniy said he patrols the parking lots at night and feels it has increased the student safety, “I can see it works,” he said.

Clark and Skriniy both emphasized the faster response times offered by bicycles. When traffic is bad, bicycles can maneuver past cars and reach a scene faster. Skriniy said he can be anywhere on campus in a matter of minutes, much faster than officers on foot.

Clark said the program also makes officers more approachable to students, and the bicycles complement the vehicle and foot patrols well.

While patrol cars cost around $45,000, bicycles are relatively cheap and don’t require fuel or oil changes and rarely need repairs. The cars have expensive computers and Global Positioning Systems, but the most high-tech items on the new bicycles are lights and sirens.

The only foreseeable downside to the program, Clark said, is the possibility of crashes and injuries, but the officers are required to wear safety gear.

The students feel more secure, Skriniy said. He said that recently on the Guy West Bridge a student thanked him for doing his job. “It’s a great reward,” Skriniy said.

Crystal England, a Sac State senior majoring in Spanish, said she has seen the bicycle officers and thinks they are a benefit to the campus.

“It makes people feel secure and safe,” said Jeff Chaix, a senior majoring in economics.

Brandon Darnell can be reached at [email protected]