Arizona State University's police department is actively patrolling bike racks this semester due to an increase of bike thefts at the start of the year.
Department officials said there is a spike with the beginning of each semester and cautioned students to use a quality lock when parking their bikes on campus.
There are about 10,000 bikes on campus everyday, according to Stewart Adams, Program Coordinator of Crime Prevention at ASU. With the high volume, it is a good place for a bike thief to shop.
"The first of the fall semester is a high bike theft time because there are so many new bikes on campus," said Adams. "Bike thefts are between 15 and 20 every month, but in September and October there will be about 30 per month."
Assistant Chief for the ASU Police, Jay Spradling, said there are many reasons bikes are stolen so often and easily. ASU has a transient population of people coming and going, and the failure to properly lock and secure a bike can result in a theft. The crime is also easier since many would not be able to tell that the thief did not own the bike.
"A witness to a theft might not even know they are watching a theft in progress," said Spradling.
When a bike theft is reported to the ASU Police, they collect as much information as possible about the bike and find out if there are any suspects, according to Adams.
"If there are any leads we will follow up on the investigation," said Adams. "Most of the time the victim has very little information, so there is no follow up."
As far as prevention, surveillance teams are put out from time to time to watch the bike racks for thieves, said Adams. The police send out extra patrols in the areas most likely to have bike thefts, according to Spradling.
The thieves have been known to sell the stolen bikes for a cheap price to students on other campuses or in cities around the ASU campus. Sometimes the theft is set up beforehand, possibly as a trade for drugs, said Adams.
"We have found them being sold at the Park ‘n Swap places, Northern Arizona University and University of Arizona campuses," said Adams.
Spradling said that the police department cannot stop bike thefts by itself. Bike owners must take responsibility for their property by securely locking their bikes in the proper locations and possibly even registering them.
Bikes can be registered through a national registry at nationalbikeregistry.com.
"The bikes that get stolen fast and first are the ones using a cable or chain as the lock," said Adams. "We recommend a good hard steel "U" lock or bike club lock."
It is important to properly lock up your bike, not just locking the front wheel but the frame of the bike as well, said Adams.
"We recommend to bring a cheap bike and a good lock to campus," said Adams.
"Responsible bike owners and good policing on our part are the best defense to bike theft," said Spradling. "However even with the best preventive measures, there will still be a certain amount of bike thefts."
Reach the reporter at bgansar@asu.edu.
