The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Issue date: 7/16/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Shari Blackman Evidence of attempted theft can be seen on the bike racks around campus. Missing tires and bike seats are more obvious during the summer when most students take their bikes home.

The bike racks by Morgan Library display some unusual signs of summer at CSU: a lone bicycle wheel rim attached by a twisted cable lock; a stripped bike frame, still steadfastly anchored by its U-lock; a cleanly snipped cable, coiled snake-like on the ground near a vacant rack slot.

Some people say it's just more visible in summer with so few bike commuters on campus. But affected students and staff say bike theft at CSU is more of a threat than ever.

"I haven't noticed bikes being stolen as much in the past," said Aaron Benally, coordinator of the Women and Minorities in Engineering Program.

He left his cruiser overnight locked with a thick cable to the racks outside the Engineering Building.

"Just one night was all it took," said Benally, who returned the next day to find nothing but a cut cable where his bike had been.

Police statistics support Benally's theory that bike theft is on the rise.

According to the CSU Police Department, 171 bikes were stolen in 2007, 20 more than in 2006.

This may be due to an increase in bikes on campus, said Jackie Swaro, the administrative assistant to Chief Dexter Yarbrough, in an e-mail message to the Collegian. The number of bikes registered with campus police was up 15 percent in 2007, she said.

"Registering a bicycle may help recover it if it has been stolen," Swaro said, and requires that all faculty, staff, and students "who will regularly ride bikes to and on campus" register them with CSUPD. Registration costs $5 and is good for the length of time the bike is owned.

"Although CSUPD does not have compiled statistics on the number of registered bicycles recovered, we estimate that approximately 20 percent are recovered," Swaro said.

In addition to registration, the department recommends "using a good cable lock in conjunction with a U-shaped lock."

Stephanie Strickland, a senior English education major, learned the hard way about the importance of locking her bike.

While visiting a friend, she left her bike unlocked outside of the Cambridge Apartments on Plum Street. Somebody rode off with it, Strickland said.

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