Bicycle theft remains prevalent despite precautions
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 11/17/2009
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If you use a bicycle to get around campus, beware: Your transportation could disappear more easily than you think.
Even with bike locks and a bicycle registration program on campus, bicycles switch owners every year at Purdue.
Stephen Wolf, a junior in the College of Engineering, lost his two wheels in October 2008.
“I had just upgraded from a $30 Walmart model to something nicer,” Wolf said. “I bought it specially to get around campus on, and locked it up at the racks by Cary. I left it on the rack Friday and Monday there was a broken lock hanging on the rack in its place.”
Wolf had secured his bicycle with a chain combination lock.
“It’s just a chain with a combo lock connecting the two ends,” Wolf said. “They’re really easy to take apart ... but I didn’t know that at the time.”
Wolf has yet to receive justice for his loss, unfortunately.
“I never found out who stole it. I walked to class after the bike disappeared; it wasn’t that bad but I was definitely late for class until I got a new one.” Wolf said his new bicycle has an improved U-lock that is much harder to break than his previous security.
Another security precaution available to students is the Purdue Police Department’s bicycle registration system. According to the Purdue Web site, “Registration is mandatory for faculty, staff and students who ride on the Purdue campus.”
Purdue Police dispatcher Michelle Birge said the amount of students who take advantage of the program, however, is smaller than expected.
“Registering your bicycle helps you out in several different ways,” Birge said. “It helps us to quickly file a report if your bicycle is stolen, since we already have its information on file. Also, if you get a lock stuck, or if you find your stolen bike with a different lock on it, we can unlock it for you. There are hundreds of kids who register every year, but most of the cases we get are students whose bicycles are unregistered.”