Ride Safe, Get Ice Cream: Livermore Police Launch New Program

LIVERMORE, CA — Getting stopped by a police officer isn’t usually a sign of good things to come, but it will be for certain young bike riders in Livermore.

The Livermore Police Department has launched a new Bike Safety Rewards Program, which rewards local children demonstrating safe and responsible bike-riding habits with a free ice cream from Meadowlark Dairy.

“We want young riders to understand that bicycle safety is important, but we also want to make those interactions positive. It’s a fun way to reinforce good habits while giving our officers another opportunity to connect with kids and families in the community,” said LPD spokesperson Azenith Smith.

The department partnered with Meadowlark Dairy, and has a total of 40 tokens it plans to give out. Each token is redeemable at the Meadowlark locations in either Livermore or Pleasanton for one small, medium, or large soft serve ice cream with a value of up to four dollars.

Tokens will be awarded to kids who wear a helmet, ride with the flow of traffic, maintain a safe speed and distance, and generally ride cautiously and responsibly, Smith said. If officers like what they see, the kid won’t get pulled over with flashing lights. Instead, the officer will approach the child, explain the program to them and their parent or guardian, and then award the token.

Children can win more than one token, though supplies are limited and Smith said the department wants to recognize as many children as possible.

“The goal isn’t for kids to go looking for an officer or a token. We want them to make safe riding a habit every time they get on their bike. The ice cream is just a fun bonus when an officer happens to see them doing the right thing,” she said.

Similar programs have been enacted in recent years all over America. One of the oldest programs – the Safe Summer Bike Helmet Program in upstate New York – is in its 28th year and has distributed 5,000 “good tickets” for free ice cream to kids riding their helmets while biking, skateboarding, or roller blading.