Aggie Blue Bikes is taking
measures to prevent bicycle theft on campus.
“In the past three to four months we’ve had more bikes stolen than the entire time this program has been in existence since 2005,” said Stephanie Tomlin, program coordinator for Aggie Blue Bikes, a service at Utah State University that allows students to borrow refurbished bicycles free of charge for three months at a time.
In response to the increase in thefts, Tomlin said, Aggie Blue Bikes added policies last month to ensure that bicycle safety isn’t being neglected. Aggie Blue Bikes now highly recommends that borrowers use a U-lock and requires that any traditional chain lock used be at least 10mm thick. Aggie Blue Bikes has also increased the replacement cost for lost or stolen bicycles from $150 to $250.
“One of the biggest issues is that people don’t know how to properly lock their bike,” Tomlin said. “You need to go through your frame, your wheel and then the bike rack. It’s really easy to pick a chain lock or cut them with something as simple as basic cable cutters.”
According to the Utah State University Police Department, there were 63 incidences of bicycle theft in 2011 compared to 29 in 2010. Data from 2012 was not immediately available.
“It’s becoming harder for pawn shops to want to buy bicycles because of our ability to track serial numbers and models through computer systems,” Hanzalik said. “But a thief can easily go on Craigslist or ksl.com and sell a bike to someone. People online often just see a cheap bike as a good deal and won’t question it or report it to police.”
Hanzalik said the USU Police Department does training each semester during student orientation to help students avoid theft and burglary. The department also allow students to register their bicycles for easier retrieval in the event they are lost or stolen.
“Because crime rates in Logan are so low, people often take predators for granted,” Hanzalik said. “We as a police force can’t be everywhere so we heavily rely on citizens to report a lot of crimes. If they see something that just doesn’t look right, we need them to call us.”
Hanzalik said about 40 to 50 percent of bicycles that students report as stolen end up being found on campus.
“Someone is lazy and they see a bike without a lock so they ride it to class and drop it off at another bike rack,” Hanzalik said. “This is filed as wrongful appropriation.”
Tomlin thinks that a worry-free attitude toward locking bicycles is creating a negative trend.
“The attitude here seems to be, ‘Oh, it’s Logan, my bike’s safe,’” Tomlin said. “Unfortunately, I think some people in Logan and Utah State in particular are realizing that there are a lot of bikes and people aren’t really locking them up, which makes them really easy to steal.”
“I just present it to people as, ‘How much is your bike worth to you?’” Tomlin said. “I know we’re college students and it can be hard to pay $30 for a lock, but if it saves you money down the road it’s worth that initial investment.”
Seth Merrill, Grady Smith, Teresa Gutierrez and Jessica Hinrichs contributed to this article.
“In the past three to four months we’ve had more bikes stolen than the entire time this program has been in existence since 2005,” said Stephanie Tomlin, program coordinator for Aggie Blue Bikes, a service at Utah State University that allows students to borrow refurbished bicycles free of charge for three months at a time.
In response to the increase in thefts, Tomlin said, Aggie Blue Bikes added policies last month to ensure that bicycle safety isn’t being neglected. Aggie Blue Bikes now highly recommends that borrowers use a U-lock and requires that any traditional chain lock used be at least 10mm thick. Aggie Blue Bikes has also increased the replacement cost for lost or stolen bicycles from $150 to $250.
“One of the biggest issues is that people don’t know how to properly lock their bike,” Tomlin said. “You need to go through your frame, your wheel and then the bike rack. It’s really easy to pick a chain lock or cut them with something as simple as basic cable cutters.”
Tomlin said bicycles left unlocked or unattended for weeks or months at a time are easy targets for journalists.
According to the Utah State University Police Department, there were 63 incidences of bicycle theft in 2011 compared to 29 in 2010. Data from 2012 was not immediately available.
USU police officer Sutton
Hanzalik said bicycle theft has increased partially because it has become
easier for thieves to sell them online.
“It’s becoming harder for pawn shops to want to buy bicycles because of our ability to track serial numbers and models through computer systems,” Hanzalik said. “But a thief can easily go on Craigslist or ksl.com and sell a bike to someone. People online often just see a cheap bike as a good deal and won’t question it or report it to police.”
Hanzalik said the USU Police Department does training each semester during student orientation to help students avoid theft and burglary. The department also allow students to register their bicycles for easier retrieval in the event they are lost or stolen.
“Because crime rates in Logan are so low, people often take predators for granted,” Hanzalik said. “We as a police force can’t be everywhere so we heavily rely on citizens to report a lot of crimes. If they see something that just doesn’t look right, we need them to call us.”
Hanzalik said about 40 to 50 percent of bicycles that students report as stolen end up being found on campus.
“Someone is lazy and they see a bike without a lock so they ride it to class and drop it off at another bike rack,” Hanzalik said. “This is filed as wrongful appropriation.”
Tomlin thinks that a worry-free attitude toward locking bicycles is creating a negative trend.
“The attitude here seems to be, ‘Oh, it’s Logan, my bike’s safe,’” Tomlin said. “Unfortunately, I think some people in Logan and Utah State in particular are realizing that there are a lot of bikes and people aren’t really locking them up, which makes them really easy to steal.”
Tomlin hopes to secure
grants in the future that will allow Aggie Blue Bikes to purchase U-locks for
students and sponsor courses on bicycle theft prevention.
“I just present it to people as, ‘How much is your bike worth to you?’” Tomlin said. “I know we’re college students and it can be hard to pay $30 for a lock, but if it saves you money down the road it’s worth that initial investment.”
Seth Merrill, Grady Smith, Teresa Gutierrez and Jessica Hinrichs contributed to this article.
The fourth paragraph is somewhat confusing. To clarify: Tomlin said bicycles left unlocked or unattended to for weeks or months at a time are easy targets for thieves.
ReplyDeleteAnd the fifth paragraph should say "data" instead of "date."
ReplyDelete