This article is the first in a series profiling the nominees for the 2008 Alice B. Toeclips Awards. This year's nominees include a few who were profiled here last year – Portland bicycle attorney Mark Ginsberg; bike commuting family superstars Greg, Antonia and Curtis MacNaughton; and bike culture leader Sara Stout. This article was written by BTA correspondent John McLaren.

Portland Police Officer Robert Pickett is a frequent subject on – and contributor to – BikePortland.org. Type “Pickett” in the search box and you’ll find numerous references to his work plus his commentaries on safer cycling and police bike patrols. He also is a bicycling instructor for the Police Bureau, where he shows trainees how to be effective and safe when riding on patrol.

Jonathan Maus, who publishes BikePortland.org and is himself a 2007 Alice Award winner, describes Pickett as “a true community police officer [who] obviously loves his job.”
Pickett, 35, says he always wanted to be a policeman, an ambition fulfilled in May 2002 when he was hired by the Portland Police Bureau. “I liked the thought of working outside instead of behind a desk,” he says, adding that police work also appealed to him because of the variety of responsibilities and duties – including helping others. He believes bicycles can help cops stay in closer touch with their neighborhoods.

Following graduation in 1995 from Carleton College in Minnesota, Pickett, a native Hoosier, was recruited to teach English as a second language in Japan, an assignment that lasted 3 years. He then took the long way home, with month-long stopovers in China and Egypt and two years of additional travels in Europe.

When he returned to the United States in January 2000, he joined college buddies who were renting a house in Portland. His first job was as a bike messenger for Transerv Package Express, wearing the company’s distinctive red T-shirt while delivering letters and parcels in the downtown area.

Then he joined the police force, taking his penchant for bicycling with him. Pickett was instrumental in establishing the Southeast Portland Bicycle Patrol, which he now coordinates, about 2 years ago. “Cops on bikes are very accessible to the public” he says. “People can see you and talk to you, and it helps us build relationships with folks in neighborhoods when we’re not surrounded by steel and glass.”

He outlined other advantages in a posting on BikePortland.org: “From the sidewalk, we are easily flagged down by neighborhood residents who share information with us about neighborhood comings and goings. We can quickly park our bikes and walk into shops to discuss problem locations or people with shopkeepers. We can also easily ask people to retrieve dropped cigarette butts, or wait for the green pedestrian light. Most commonly we share a smile or a ‘Hi’ as we pass, letting people know in a much more personal way, ‘Hey, we’re here and accessible to you.’”

The Southeast Bicycle Patrol is the only such unit outside downtown Portland. Pickett has been a strong advocate for the patrols, testifying before the City Council and otherwise getting the word out about their value. He would like to see a police bike presence in other parts of the city, but the relatively high costs of setting up and maintaining a patrol are a deterrent. In December, Pickett and three other members of the Southeast Bicycle Patrol unit received “Community Policing Problem Solving” awards from Chief Rosie Sizer. Pickett was also recently appointed to the Southeast Precinct Neighborhood Response Team, which provides liaisons for neighborhood associations.

When he bike commutes, Pickett rides a Bridgestone mountain bike from his home in the Buckman neighborhood to Southeast Precinct headquarters. He also enjoys recreational rides along the Eastbank Esplanade and the Springwater Corridor to the Sellwood Bridge.

Next nominee: Police Chief Jon Zeliff from the Central Point, Oregon, police department.

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