Due to a rise in bike theft, the Baylor Police Department and Baylor Parking and Transportation Services have created a program to register Baylor students’ bikes.
After analyzing data on bike thefts in 2013, thirty bikes were stolen, in 2014, fifty bikes were stolen and just after Christmas break, seventy bicycles were stolen, the Baylor police department and parking and transportation services decided that they needed to do something.
Baylor police and parking services created a quick and easy “click, click, send” registration process. The process can be done by phone or on a computer. A student can take a photo of the bike and a photo of the bike’s serial number and then e-mail the photos to bike@baylor.edu and include a Baylor ID.
Students can also register their bikes at the Baylor police department or at Baylor parking and transportation services in Clifton Robinson Tower.
There are five places the bike serial number could be included on the bottom bracket, on top of the bottom bracket, on the chain stays (left or right), on the seat tube or on the headset.
After the bike registration is processed ,students will get a sticker to put on their bikes.
“The idea behind the sticker is a visual deterrent,” said Matt Penney, director of parking and transportation services at Baylor. “When a thief comes on campus the thief will see the sticker and see the bike has been registered and will hopefully leave it alone.”
When a bike is lost or stolen and the serial number is not known by the owner, it makes it near impossible to find the bike. Having the bike registered will make it easier to trace. Most bicycle shops will run the serial number of a used bike that they get, and if the serial number comes up as lost or stolen then they can get the bike back to its owner, according to Penney.
“When a bicycle is stolen, few owners know the appropriate information needed to assist authorities in finding and reclaiming their property,” according to an email from the Baylor Department of Public Safety. “If an owner knows his/her bicycle serial number and provides a brief description, stolen bicycles can be reclaimed and identified. In addition, resale stores, which might unknowingly purchase the stolen item, are required to report serial numbers of items they purchase, including bicycles.”
Parking and transportation services and the Baylor police department wants students to register their bikes before spring break when everyone is gone and their bikes are left outside and vulnerable since there won’t be as many people around to monitor it.
“It is free, it is quick and it protects your property.” according to the Baylor Department of Public Safety website.
