The bike program is one of the many aspects of the Oswego Police Department. It was started in August of 1998 and has been growing since. We currently have 16 Bike officers, which is almost half of our sworn officers, who are certified to ride the police bikes. These officers completed a 40-hour class and passed written and obstacle course tests in order to become certified.

The OPD has five 18-speed mountain bikes donated by area businesses and one electric bike that was donated by Com Ed. The bikes are used throughout the year several times a month in two officer patrols with plans to have full time bike officers in the summer of 2004.

The bike patrol is used for regular patrol and in areas that are more difficult to get to in squad cars. Some examples are on the bike trails, parks, special events and Prairiefest. The bike patrol also gives the officers the opportunity to more closely relate to the community. The officers get to interact in a variety of ways such as teaching officer safety and talking one on one to people they meet while on patrol.