It's the stuff kids' dreams are made of and then some: shiny bikes, flashing lights, sirens - and electric motors for greater speed.

The UC Davis Police Department expanded its bicycle patrol unit this month from two officers to six and put into service electric bicycles acquired with a $12,000 grant from the local air-quality district.

The bike patrol officers are Walter Broussard, Bruce Davidson, John Johnson, George Lamonica, Dave Orth and Dave Robinson. They are assigned to day and night shifts at the main campus and at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.

The purchase of the bikes was made possible through a grant from the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District. The expanded bike patrol is expected to reduce by about 16.7 percent, or 41,500 miles annually, the mileage driven in the department's nine marked patrol cars.

Sgt. Shad Canington, who directs the bike patrol unit, says the expanded patrol unit is not just good for the environment, it's good policing.

"A bike patrol unit is a great fit for a university campus and for a department committed to community-oriented policing. The motor assists on the new bikes will really help the officers to effectively cover our large campus," he said. "The electric motor will help them to more quickly reach the location to which they've been dispatched and to arrive in a better physical condition to handle the call."

The black "Tactical" model bike, specially designed for law enforcement, was manufactured by Smith & Wesson of Springfield, Mass., and the electric motor system, by Zapworld.com of Sebastopol. Heavier than a mountain bike, the 24-speed bike features police markings.

According to Zapworld.com, the bike is designed to reach speeds of 18 miles per hour using the motor alone and up to 20 miles per hour using the motor and pedal power.

The 12-volt battery that powers the bike's motor also runs its flashing emergency lights and 115-decibel siren.