We Get to Be Mascots

[David C.]

Zs here:  Our Dad told us he got a promotion.   We're not sure what that means because when you are a volunteer, it's not like he's going to get paid more money.   However, Dad said one of his first acts was to make us Official Mascots.   We're not sure what that entails, but it sounds like fun.

Dad here:  In the Park Police Volunteer Patrol program, I've been named Bike Patrol Volunteer Leader, which means I am now in charge of the Bicycle section of the Volunteer program (the Volunteer Patrol has three units:  Mounted (Horse), Community (Foot and Auto) and Bicycle.  While it sounds like a nice title, the Bike program has kind of been the black sheep for many years.  As of now, I can only count six members in the Bicycle section, and of those, only one other rider besides myself has the skills and physical conditioning to handle the roughest terrain in some of our parks.  We have over 25 different parks that have trails that need to be patrolled, so we're going to be spread a bit thin until I can get more members.

I've got my work cut out for me.  One of the first things I did do was to establish a definite identity for the unit.   I commissioned a staff graphic artist from my day job to make a shield.   The shield consists of two mountain bikes from the 3/4 front view being ridden by none other than Zeke and Zora.   When I have the completed product, I will post the graphic.  However, the Zs will be the Offical Mascot of the Bicycle Section, getting the IDs of X-Ray 0 and X-Ray 1/2 (all volunteers have a radio call sign that begins with X-Ray, mine is X-Ray 136).

[Teresa]

That is a great idea David and I'm sure Zeke and Zora are honored to be your mascots. Hopefully it will help increase morale and lead others to join in. 6 people for 25 different parks is unbelievable, but when you are working with volunteers only, there isn't much you can do until you've recruited others. I hope you get some new riders soon and your group is no longer the black sheep of the three.

[PattyInAK]

That sounds neat, I can't wait to see what the graphic artist comes up with.  So, what do you do when you patrol the parks?  What if you spot trouble?  Do you carry a gun?

[David C.]

That sounds neat, I can't wait to see what the graphic artist comes up with.  So, what do you do when you patrol the parks?  What if you spot trouble?  Do you carry a gun?

We're eyes and ears only.   If we spot something, we're supposed to call it in and get out of Dodge (and/or find a safe spot to continue surveillance).   We leave the enforcement part to the folks who carry guns and wear bulletproof vests.   I don't carry any weaponry of any kind.  Best I could do is bop someone over the head with my radio.

Our purpose is really 1) to be a visual presence, both as a deterrent for troublemakers, and as presence for law abiding citizens to know that there are people looking out for their safety  2) to act as eyes an ears...besides the 25 trails, the commission has nearly 400 different properties scattered over two counties.   In our county, at any given time you're not going to have more than a dozen officers out on patrol.   3) to handle the routine calls (dumping, trees down, etc.) so the patrol officers can focus on dealing with the bad guys.

[PattyInAK]

We had/have a bicycle patrol in Anchorage when I was carriage driving.  They were a big help if we needed help, like if some drunk was bothering us.

[Barb]

That is very cool !!!  Can't wait to see the shield.  Sending rays that you find some more riders !

[cheryl186]

Wow, that is awesome...Congratulations to you and to Zeke and Zora for being the Official Mascots...I too am eagerly awaiting the rendition of the Shield.  This just sounds too exciting

[DeeanDave]

How fun for Zeke and Zora!  Looking forward to seeing the graphic design!

[Frankys_mom]

Awesome! Can't wait to see the design!