I live in a pretty darn quiet neighborhood. It's the kind of place where kids can play outside and you can walk alone after dark.
For the last couple of days, the police have been slowly cruising our neighborhood. The first time I came out of my house, while they were cruising, one of them beckoned me over to ask me this question, "Have you seen a girl riding a bike around here?"
Really? A girl on a bike? Long Beach is known for being a bike friendly neighborhood. I told him that I hadn't noticed, because I was just coming out of the house for the first time of the day. I asked him if I needed to be on the lookout (I was imagining a missing child). He said, "Yes, for a girl on a bike."
Then he started rolling up his window. I stopped him. I explained that that was a pretty vague request and that I see lots of girls on bikes ride by my house. He told me that this particular girl was riding round and round the block and that she was paying special attention to my neighbor's house. He would not give me any type of description. Just "a girl riding a bike."
My neighbor is a bit of a recluse. Maybe he's in witness protection or maybe he has a stalker. Who knows. But if the police want help, they need to be more forthcoming about what they want us looking for. A girl on a bike. Nice. Is she six? Is she packing heat? Do you really need two squad cars with two policemen each to take her down? If she is circling the block, shouldn't you have caught her by now? It's a small block. But they are still slowly driving around this morning. I hope nobody gets caught in the crossfire.
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