Public Safety will use GPS to target bike thiefs

Next week, the Department of Public Safety will initiate a program to identify bicycle thieves on campus by using GPS tracking devices.

DPS officials declined to discuss operation logistics because releasing them would compromise the goal of the project.

“We became aware of the technology and we investigated it for ourselves,” DPS Spokesman Randy Young said. “The program had unprecedented success at N.C. State (University).”

Bicycle thefts fell from 24 thefts to two thefts over a two-month period relative to the previous year at N.C. State, Young said.

There will be an official demonstration of the technology on Wednesday.

“We’ve been talking about it for months,” he added.

On average, there are 30 to 50 bicycle thefts on campus a year. Fourteen bicycles were stolen in August, a high number for one month, Young said.

He said numbers vary from year to year, with 40 thefts in 2008, 52 in 2009 and 50 last year. All numbers are measured during the fiscal year, which ends at the end of June each year.

There are several ways to help prevent bicycle thefts, Young said.

Young suggested that students register their bicycles with the University and buy a U-shaped lock.

There are no records of a bicycle being stolen with a properly used U-shaped lock, he added.

There are currently 1,047 bicycles registered at UNC, said Claire Kane, transportation demand manager for DPS.

“Registering your bike helps increase officers ability to identify it if your bike is found (after being stolen),” Kane said. “It also helps us to plan our cycling facilities on campus, like bike racks.”

Administration Support Associate of Student Stores Operations Bob Wall said the U-locks are sold at Student Stores since they are the safest option.

“U-locks are more secure than most other kinds of locking mechanism because they are more resistant to cutting with high-leverage hand tools such as bolt or chain cutters.”

Young said larceny is statistically the most common crime on campus, and that no one is immune to it.

“There’s a lot of folks that come here with a fairly complacent attitude and feel like they are immune to crime,” Young said.

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