By
Jose Ceja
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Despite a recent rise in what is already one of the most common crimes on campus, many students still do not take the necessary precautions to prevent bicycle theft, a UAPD officer said.
Sgt. Mike Smith, UAPD spokesman, said a common mistake students make is using cable or chain locks instead of U-locks to secure their bikes.
U-locks, though generally more expensive, provide greater protection against theft when used correctly, and bikes locked with them rarely end up being reported to UAPD, Smith said.
If a bicycle is stolen, Smith said, its serial number can be entered into a national database to help recover it.
"Without a serial number, it would be next to impossible to recover," he said. "How many red 10-speeds are out there?"
Bicycles can also be registered with UA Parking and Transportation, which provides each bike a registration number that can be useful to recover a bicycle if the owner does not have the serial number, Smith said.
Even with these precautions, however, Smith advised students to use inexpensive bicycles on campus.
"Keep (the expensive bikes) at home," he said.
Despite frequent reports of bicycle thefts - UAPD receives as many as five a day - Smith said that bicycles stolen from the UA are rarely recovered.
"Unfortunately, it's pretty tough because there are so many outlets around here," he said.
Bicycles are quick cash for thieves, whether sold or pawned, and their theft are a very common crime on most college campuses, particularly the UA,,, Smith said.
With this particular crime on campus, Doug Horner, owner of The Ordinary Bike Shop, 741 N. 4th Ave., a store that sells used bicycles, said he and his employees have become very good at detecting stolen bicycles.
Horner said that he unknowingly bought stolen bicycles on two occasions, but now he now takes several measures to prevent this.
Horner - who said he receives about one call a day from people reporting their bicycle was stolen- said that although he requires used bicycle sellers to provide two forms of identification and a receipt, thieves are easy to detect.
"It usually seems obvious if it's a hot bike," he said.
Michael Sattinger, manager of Discount Pawn Shop, 3939 N. First Ave., said the "age-old" stereotype of pawnshops being warehouses of stolen goods is incorrect, and in three years of business, he has only seen one or two stolen bicycles.
Sattinger said that although he takes precautions to ensure he doesn't purchase stolen bicycles, he said it would be unlikely that such a high number of stolen bicycles would end up in used bicycle stores.
Sattinger said these bicycles might be going "somewhere else," like different cities or perhaps even to different countries.
"Professional (thieves) stay away from pawn shops," he said.
Smith said although the scenario Sattinger described is possible, UAPD has not seen any evidence of such a ring - but he agrees that bicycle theft is a serious problem at the UA.
"On campus, bicycles are a crucial, major means of transportation," Smith said. "This is a big biking community."
