More than a month after Zalaen Stone’s mountain bike was stolen from outside the Rondo Community Library, St. Paul police officers provided the 13-year-old with a new bike earlier this week.

Sgt. Candice Jones investigated the May 29 theft. Video footage outside the library’s main entrance on Dale Street showed a middle-age, female suspect, who was identified and later charged. Zalaen’s bike, however, was not recovered.

After the theft, Summer Stone, Zalaen’s mother, met Jones, Sgt. Jason Bain and officers Charles Busch and Matt Brodin at the Police Department’s Western District office.

Although Zalaen was unable to pick out the new bike himself, his mother helped the officers decide and brought it — along with a new helmet — home to surprise him.

“I was just about to buy him a bike when the lady called,” Summer said. “It’s really cool they did this for him.”

Through the Bike Cops for Kids program, officers provided six options at Framed Bikes in Little Canada.

“That’s what the program is for,” Bain said of the help provided to Zalaen. “If they’re doing everything right and something bad happens.”

St. Paul’s Bike Cops for Kids program was launched several years ago with the aim of distributing bike helmets to young bicyclists to improve safety. It’s modeled after a Minneapolis initiative started in 2009.