MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minneapolis police are going to give away and install bike lights for cyclists of all ages Thursday night in an attempt to strengthen the department’s bond with the city’s vibrant and growing cycling community.

The event is called Stay Bright Minneapolis, and it will happen at the Sabo Bridge, located on the Greenway, from 8 p.m. to midnight, according to Sgt. William Palmer. The bridge plans the intersection of Hiawatha Avenue and 29th Street East, and anyone is welcome to get a bike light.

The event is an effort of the Bike Cops for Kids program, which Palmer said is an award-winning program of the department’s Juvenile Division School Resource Office section.

He said the program is about connecting with young cyclists and encouraging safety. For the past four summers, bike officers have given helmets to young people in troubled neighborhoods, and now officers are giving out new Trek bikes to young people seen wearing their helmets this summer.

Palmer said the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and other generous persons have donated more than 1,500 helmets, 150 bikes and 6,000 bike lights to the program.

Bike lights make for much safer night riding, Palmer said. They are also required by law.