Bicycle Thefts

There were several bicycle thefts over the past summer. The thefts are not occurring at the most obvious places and times, such as bicycle racks, front yards, or at night. The suspects primarily will enter an open garage door, frequently in the middle of the day, and remove a bicycle in order to get to their destination across town. They will typically ride it to the area around a friend's house and dump the bicycle. When they are ready to go home or to the next location, they will go back and check for the bicycle they rode there. If it is gone, the suspects will simply find another open garage and steal another one.

Tips to Keep Your Bike Safe

Besides the obvious steps of keeping the doors shut and/or locking the bicycles in the garage, there are a few simple things that you can do to greatly enhance the possibility of getting your bicycle back:

  • Write down the serial number. It's stamped in the metal on the bottom of the bike where the pedals go into the frame. You may have to clean it off and view it at an angle.
  • Record the date, place, and for what amount it was purchased.
  • Archive a detailed description of the colors, model, style (BMX, mountain, road), and anything unique like additional stickers or specific blemishes on the bike.

Bikes Found by Police

You would be surprised how many bicycles the police department locates but because there are no detailed descriptions of stolen bicycles or serial numbers, the rightful owners are not located very often. The serial number is perhaps the most important. With that, officers can list the property as stolen in the statewide computer system and if any officer anywhere runs the serial number through their dispatcher, it will come back as stolen and it can be returned to the rightful owner. And the bicycles are usually still in excellent condition, too.

Report Your Bike as Stolen

If you have had a bicycle stolen from you, contact the Police Department. Please have the serial number or as detailed a description as possible available so that we may check the bicycles we have unclaimed. Any bicycles that are not claimed after 30 days are sold at auction.