Mpls Downtown Improvement District

Residents and business owners in Minneapolis have become very accustomed to seeing Officers Mike Kirchen and Dave O’Connor pedaling around town, handing out hundreds of bike helmets and water bottles annually. Last year, as in year’s past, they also provided free bikes for 53 young men and women in Minneapolis who needed a little boost, or “pick-me-up.”

Following an extremely significant donation from Minneapolis Attorney Mike Ciresi and Dean and Tyler Phillips with the Phillips Family Foundation, the now famous “Bike Cops” have a brand new truck to cruise through the community with. It’s fully loaded. The cops can set up a basketball hoop on one side of the rig, and they’ve hooked up a TV on the other side. Inside, they’ve got spots to hang helmets, freezers full of ice cream sandwiches, and a couple of brackets where they can prop up a child’s bike to fix a chain or a loose seat. Please see the attached video: https://youtu.be/GEC4AdaOMB8

The MPD is proud to launch this “first-of-its-kind cruiser” that will help Minneapolis Police continue to connect with children throughout the community. The inaugural voyage will take place this week as the kids at Lucy Laney Elementary School (where Officer Mike once worked as a School Resource Officer) on the city’s north side get the first look at the truck. It’ll be stocked with helmets, water bottles, and one very cool bike that a lucky kid will get to take home.

The MPD would also like to acknowledge and thank the following organizations who have been both supportive and generous in helping our Bike Cops help our communities: Children’s Hospitals of Minnesota, Minneapolis-based American Academy of Neurology, KEMPS ice cream, Target, Kowalski’s Market, Behind Bars Bicycle Shop and North End Hardware & Rental.