Spring Break
Increasing incidents of bicycle theft on campus
Julia Baum
Issue date: 10/28/09 Section: News
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Interim Lt. Kelly Clark said the arrests were the result of an effort by plainclothes officers to stop the thefts. There have been more than 20 bike thefts since the beginning of the semester. University police are uncertain if the thefts are related.
"We can only speculate whether they're connected … typically people are taking them to make money on them," Clark said. "If I had to generalize, most of our crimes are crimes of opportunity."
Clark said people who are not students or faculty often come to Sac State to steal bikes because they are abundant on campus.
"It's a very convenient cut-through from the freeway to other areas," Clark said.
Clark urges students who are concerned about their bikes being stolen to register them with campus police for free. Clark said stolen bikes have a much greater chance of being recovered when the serial number has been entered into a state-wide stolen property database.
He also said students should lock their bikes up in the bicycle compound next to the Guy West Bridge. The compound is monitored by attendants, so students can park there and be confident their bike will remain secure.
"A problem we've had is students park their bikes everywhere on campus," Clark said.
Students who lock their bikes to stairwells, fences, trees or other objects not designated for parking bikes have a greater chance of being victimized because police do not monitor those areas as closely. Clark said that most bikes have been reported stolen from the residence halls, University Union, and Library Quad.
Tyler Newell, bike shop lead mechanic at Peak Adventures, said students can invest in a good bike lock to protect their property. He said there is usually an influx of lock sales at the beginning of the semester, but has noticed more locks being sold than usual this semester.
"I feel like we are selling a lot more locks," Newell said. "We have seen growth in traffic here in the shop. There's more people coming here lately saying they just had their bike stolen or rear wheel stolen."
One example Newell gave was of a student who recently came into Peak Adventures to buy a new rear wheel. It had been stolen off her brand new bike. She bought the new wheel and came back the following week to inform Newell that her entire bike was stolen.
Even Peak Adventures is not immune to crime. During the summer, a bike was stolen from the sales floor after Newell said someone gave a false driver's license and took it for a test ride. The person never came back. The incident forced Peak Adventures to tighten up its test-ride policy.
Newell said it is just as important for students to learn how to properly lock up their bikes as it is to invest in a quality bike lock.
"It might sound goofy, but there are improper ways of locking up bikes," Newell said.
Oftentimes, Newell has seen or heard of students locking up just the front tire, which can be quickly released, or locking the frame to a pole from which the bike can easily be removed. He also suggested renting a bike locker on campus through Peak Adventures for the greatest protection. The lockers also have the benefit of keeping bikes dry during the rainy season.
Saud Saiari, graduate student in electrical and electronic engineering, does not worry about the possibility of his bike being stolen, even though he has several evening classes he rides to. He said that he does not take any special precautions against theft.
"I think this is fine with me," Saiari said. "Nobody can cut (this lock) off unless he has an electrical tool, which would make a noise."
Lauren Robinson, sophomore international business major, is one student who learned her lesson about making sure her bike is locked up. Robinson had her bike parked outside the American River Courtyard residence hall only to discover it missing when she returned. She called campus police and gave them the description of her bike, only to discover that officers had picked it up and taken it to the station for safekeeping.
"I feel lucky that it wasn't taken," Robinson said. "But … I wish they'd told the front desk, because I really thought someone had (stolen) it. But I'm very grateful."
Robinson said the false alarm made her more aware.
"I'll make absolutely sure I lock it - buy a better lock even," Robinson said.
Julia Baum can be reached at jbaum@statehornet.com.
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