A
continuous problem on University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s campus is bicycle
theft. This is the number one reported crime on the campus. This statistic
prompted the police services to launch a bike theft prevention program this
fall.
About
300 bikes have been stolen on UW-La Crosse’s campus in the past five years.
Chief of the UW-L police department,
Scott Rohde, said this is an exception to the very low crime rate on UW-L’s
campus.
Officer
Dave Pehl would like students or anyone using bikes around campus to register
their bikes. Pehl said that many bikes
have been sent to the police services, but they are not able to return them to
their owner without registration. The
form is free and takes about one minute to complete. This form in located on
the UW-L Police Services bike theft prevention website, along with forms for
the La Crosse Police Department and the National Bike Registry.
The
UW-L Police Services bike theft prevention website provides multiple tips for
preventing bike thefts. These tips include how to properly lock up one’s bike,
the right kind of lock to use, or how to properly lock up bikes without
removing the front wheel. The tips also include recommendations on the best
types of locks for bicycles.
Pehl
is working with the Office of Residence Life to try to place notes on each
unlocked bike around campus. Officer Pehl is also working with local bike shops
in the area to offer discounts on locks to students and those biking on campus.
These bike shops include Smith’s Cycling & Fitness, Bikes Limited, and
River Trail Cycles.
