Only three bike thefts were reported at Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix campus so far in 2015, which is on track to be fewer than the 41 reported thefts in 2014, according to campus police.
“It’s a huge difference to have only three so far,” said ASU police Sgt. Daniel Macias. “The three is still a big number, as obviously we’d like to see zero, but three is a huge difference.”
Macias said ASU police work in conjunction with numerous other university departments to increase awareness of bicycle theft and promote resources to prevent theft.
“We use the bike corrals at the downtown campus, the Grid Bikes which are out there, there are even the bike valets at the Tempe campus,” Macias said. “There are all these different things that we try to do.”
ASU Parking and Transit Services Assistant Director of Commuter Services J.C. Porter said his department works with students and campus police to implement effective preventative measures. Porter said in a statement that bicycle registration is particularly effective.
“Bicycle registration may help deter theft and could help in the recovery of a bicycle in the event it is stolen because bicycles are kept on record with ASU Police,” Porter said.
Macias said increased bicycle registration has effectively promoted bike security and improved officers’ ability to recover stolen items. He added that detectives recovered stolen bikes on numerous occasions this year by identifying their registered serial numbers.
According to Macias, secured bike corrals on the Downtown and Tempe campuses have also been helpful in improving bike security for ASU students. Porter said students are required to use their Sun Cards to access the corrals, which decreases accessibility for anyone looking to steal bikes.
Macias said students must still lock their bikes securely, especially if they do not use bike corrals. He said it is more difficult for police to successfully recover individual stolen bicycle parts, such as wheels or seats, even if the bike is registered online. He added ASU police do not record the theft of individual parts as bicycle theft.
Porter said Parking & Transit Services sells U-locks, as well as other bicycle safety and security gear, at discounted prices at all of their campus offices.
Nicole Franks, a media relations specialist for the ASU police, said officers have also taken to social media to improve bike protection awareness. She said the department recently posted links to online resources on how students can securely lock their bicycles on the department’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Macias said students can register their bikes online and find resources on bicycle security through an ASU bike website, bike.asu.edu. In the event of bicycle theft, he said students can report crime to ASU police over the phone or online.
Contact the reporter at Connor.Murphy@asu.edu.
