Because bicycle patrols increase police visibility in an accessible way, they can facilitate cooperative relationships between residents and law enforcement. Bicycle patrols also benefit enforcement because they are quick, quiet, and can pursue suspects through areas police cars cannot reach. Typically, bicycle patrols are a separate unit within the police department designated to patrol business districts or neighborhoods. Training in police work and community relations is often supplemented by strict physical conditioning.
Many departments raise private funds to purchase bicycles or use assets seized in drug cases.
Sporting goods manufacturers and bicycle stores have also donated equipment. One problem for a bicycle patrol is the seasonal nature of its usefulness in some communities. Examples Started in 1990 as part of a foot patrol program, the police department's bicycle patrol in San Antonio, Texas, is supported by merchants eager for increased visibility of patrol officers in the downtown areas visited by tourists. The Civil Bicycle Patrol in Orange County, Florida, was conceived and is run by civilians in close cooperation with the police and the sheriff's department. These volunteers report suspicious activities and deter crime through their visibility in areas not always covered by police patrols.