Many law enforcement agencies, including police departments, have added bicycle patrols in the fight against crime. Bicycle patrols are an excellent means of quick response in parks, neighborhoods and crowded situations where vehicle or foot patrols are not practical. Officers involved in bike patrol often are involved in more in-depth community relationship-building especially, with elderly folks and young people. An effective patch should communicate an official presence and the function of the bicycle patrol.
Instructions
1. Gather input for the design of the patch from officers involved in bike patrol, community leaders and those in a leadership role for the position. Take notes of what each group would like to see in the patch design. Compare notes for common likes, dislikes and comments.
2. Collect current patches from the department for which the patch will be designed. Observe the size of the patch, font and lettering, special logos and other characteristics and design elements unique to the department.
3. Research the logos and patches from other bike patrols. Note how the bicycle-patrol theme is incorporated into the overall logo. Also note the use of particular area or neighborhood themes in the patch.
4. Rough out the basic design of the patch, considering the shape of the patch, colors, departmental graphics and logos, as well as design features unique to the bike patrol. Submit the rough draft or sketch for approval, input and correction by those involved in the decision-making process.
5. Use a design program such as Adobe or Corel to complete the patch design in a format such as JPEG, GIF or TIF. These formats allow for easier transfer of the final design to a patch manufacturer.
Tags: bike patrol, design patch, involved bike, involved bike patrol, patch design, patches from
