Bikes stolen on campus

Biology freshman Karina DeLeon locks her bike using a U-lock Wednesday before class in the mall east of the chemistry and geology building. DeLeon said she recommends students “buy an expensive lock” to guard against theft. Photo by David Guel

Illustrations by Ansley Lewis

Lack of identification hinders property retrieval.

By M. J. Callahan

mcallahan7@student.alamo.edu

Of the 16 bicycles stolen from this campus over the summer, none were registered, making it nearly impossible to prove ownership if recovered.

This college has 10 bike racks, and B-cycle is building a bike rental station at EcoCentro on North Main Avenue and West Myrtle Street, potentially increasing the number of bike riders on campus.

So, have you registered your bike?

Alamo Community College District Crime Prevention Officer McLennan said registrations are low – 115 since 2009. Last semester, there were 62,377 students at the Alamo Colleges.

McLennan said registering your bike with campus police adds it to a district-wide database, increasing the chances of retrieving a bike if it is stolen.

Bikes are identified by serial number, model, frame and color.

Only two students whose bikes were stolen this summer knew their serial numbers. However, police never recovered their bikes. A third student’s bike was found and returned over the summer, identified by a unique high-tech device on the bike, McLennan said.

McLennan said bike thefts over the summer resulted in $4,688 lost.

McLennan said when a bike is reported stolen, police input the registered information into a national database. Pawnshops report their inventory to the same database before putting it on the floor, making it possible to identify stolen property. However, without a serial number on the bike, there is no way to prove ownership.

During the summer, bike thefts were reported across the district, and one arrest was made, McLennan said. Thefts have decreased since the arrest, but campus police still encourage cyclists to register their property and lock their bikes.

When buying a lock, a good rule of thumb is to spend 10 percent of the cost of your bike, McLennan said. Using a bike rack is safer then locking the bike to a tree because racks are usually placed in a surveillance camera’s view.

For more information contact McLennan at cmclennan@alamo.edu.