UC Davis Police Officer Ralph Nuno began patrolling the campus from the back of his bicycle last week, putting a proverbial stick through the spokes of any would-be criminal’s plans of running a stop sign or worse.
While some students have voiced the opinion that having a bike cop on campus only hassles them on their way to class, we couldn’t be happier. Officer Nuno, an extremely qualified candidate who served previously as a bike cop in Oakland, provides an important presence at the heart of campus. Having more police around to serve and protect UC Davis students is never a bad thing.
Bicyclists on campus might normally cruise on through a stop sign and be just fine, but it’s an unsafe habit to get into and having an officer around to reinforce that is a good thing. Furthermore, the Police Department should be applauded for not giving Officer Nuno a ticket quota; only actual offenders will receive tickets.
Students should be even happier to see him riding around when they realize he gives out coupons for free lunches at the Silo for good behavior (if he asks you to stop, stop!). Additionally, having an officer dedicated to enforcing bicycle safety around campus should reduce the amount of bike theft that takes place.
By enforcing bicycle regulations regarding riding while talking on a cell phone or with more than one headphone in your ears, Officer Nuno will also reduce the number of bicycle related accidents on campus. Increasing bicycle safety on campus, especially in a town so heavily populated by bicyclists, is essential and this is a step in the right direction.
