Wider isn’t always better, and sometimes two wheels are better than four.

With that in mind, and the approaching warmer weather, the DeKalb Police Department and the University Police bike patrols are in full swing.

The DeKalb police patrol officially started the season on April 1, but because of the weather, it wasn’t used much.

Currently, only two members, Cpl. Tom Petit and officer Angel Reyes, are on the patrol after two others accepted positions in other factions of the department, Petit said.

He is confident that the force will be restored to four members by the middle of May.

The bike patrol has become a valuable asset in crime fighting. Because the bikes are much smaller and quieter than a squad car, suspects cannot hear police coming, said Petit, who is the head of the patrol. Most arrests are drug-related, he added.

Patrolman also can access places where the squad cars cannot, such as between buildings, parking lots and alleys.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the bike patrolmen is their approachability, Petit said.

“People are more likely to walk up to a guy on a bike rather than an officer in a car,” he said.

University Police Cpl. Robert Cannon echoed the same sentiment.

“I am not surrounded by glass and steal,” Cannon said. “It’s much nicer, from a cop’s perspective, because we can interact with the community more.”

While the DeKalb bike patrol is just a year old, the University Police bike patrol was introduced in 1994.

Cannon is the head of the patrol and has been with it from the beginning.

“The community has really accepted us, and the department has come to embrace it,” Cannon said. “So there were some concerns when I proposed the patrol.”

Despite those concerns, the department has used the patrol nearly year-round. Cannon said he rides for about a week each month, and this has become effective.

“I roll up on so much stuff in the central part of campus where cars can’t go,” Cannon said. “With nearly three times more sidewalk miles, we are more accessible to different types of crimes.”

Cannon added that, from his perspective, smaller crimes such as open alcohol containers have decreased.

For those wondering, an arrest by the bike patrol does not mean jumping on the handle bars and sitting still.

Both departments use the same procedures.

If an arrest needs to be made, the suspect is handcuffed and a squad car is called by radio. The bike patrolman then rides back to the station with the car and completes the arrest, Petit said.