and Quick on Hawthorne Blvd.
(Photo © Jonathan Maus)
Four Portland bike patrol officers will receive recognition for their community policing efforts at the Police Bureau’s annual awards ceremony next week.
Officers Phil Blanchard, Robert Quick, Anthony Zanetti and Robert Pickett will be recognized by Chief Rosie Sizer with a “Community Policing/Problem Solving” award for their work as members of the Southeast Bike Patrol unit.
When I asked Officer Pickett about this award, he remained typically humble,
“While I’ve ended up running with the bike patrol effort the longest and maybe the hardest, the origin of the patrol was a group effort among a number of officers…especially Officer Powell, who’s now with Central Precinct.”
Last December, I had the pleasure of joining Officers Quick and Pickett for a bike-along and I learned first-hand what an important role they play in our community.
In the past, Pickett has pushed the Bureau for more funding to increase the use of bike patrols. He has testified to City Council and last January he urged BikePortland readers to let City Hall and the Police Bureau know that we would like to see more bike patrols.
While I’m pleased to see Pickett and his crew honored, it would be even better to see a real effort to get more cops out of their cars and onto bikes. With these awards, the Bureau is recognizing the positive impact of bike patrols on our community so it seems like the perfect time to launch an initiative to expand their ranks. (Currently the SE Bike Patrol is the only one in the city (outside of downtown) and just a handful of officers are certified for bike patrols).
The bike patrol officers will be among several others that will receive awards at the ceremony. The event is open to the public and takes place Monday (12/10) at 9:00 am in the Portland Building auditorium (1120 SW 5th Ave., 2nd Fl).