Joseph Andruzzi was an avid bicyclist as well as a City of Chicago cop when his commanding officer, who handled gang crimes, was asked to start a bike patrol. The officer called him up, and since 1999, Sgt. Andruzzi has served as the commanding officer of the Chicago Police Department’s bicycling patrol unit.

Surprises come with regularity. “Just when you thought you saw everything and heard everything, you find out you were wrong,” he says.

Nonetheless, the bicycle patrol plays a critical role in planning how to respond to some events, most recently the NATO summit this summer. “The city would probably have burnt down figuratively and literally if it hadn’t been for our bikes out there,” Andruzzi said.

Andruzzi will be Folks on Spokes’ featured speaker at its monthly meeting starting at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 26, 2012 at the Flossmoor Village Hall, 2800 Flossmoor Road. He’ll plan to keep his prepared remarks brief, and hopes to engage in answering questions and telling stories in the process. Bring your curiosity.