Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears that Riverbank lacks general bicycle impound authority; deputies urge ordinance
Summary
Sheriff's office told council it lacks a general legal authority to impound bicycles absent evidence of a crime; deputies can cite or impound only when evidentiary factors exist, and they cannot stop stunt riding alone. The office plans to propose an ordinance to close gaps.
Sheriff's office staff told council that Riverbank currently lacks authority to impound bicycles unless the bike is evidence in a criminal investigation.
"So impound authority right now, we don't really have impound authority," the sheriff's office representative said, explaining that impounds require evidentiary justification such as involvement in a hit-and-run or other criminal factors. The representative added that without a local ordinance, deputies' options are limited to citations or criminal charges when elements of an offense are present.
The sheriff's representative also noted deputies "don't have the ability for just, stopping somebody simply for stunt riding" unless that riding is tied to other criminal conduct that endangers the public. City staff and the sheriff's office said they are reviewing neighboring ordinances and plan to bring a proposed Riverbank ordinance to council to provide clearer enforcement tools.
Council did not vote on any ordinance and deferred further action to a scheduled workshop; the meeting was explicitly informational.
