Bike theft has fallen substantially at ASU since 2002, but cyclists should still take basic precautions to safeguard their bicycles.
According to records from ASU Department of Public Safety, 268 bikes were stolen in 2004, a decline from 391 in 2003 and 456 in 2002. This year to date, 170 bikes have been stolen.
Officer Randy Hoyum, an ASU police department spokesman, said bike thefts are usually higher during the beginning of the school year when incoming students fail to take precautions.
"We get the word out, but obviously not everybody hears or listens until they've been victimized," Hoyum said.
Education campaigns on theft prevention techniques have increased student awareness, Hoyum said. Also, more officers in marked cars have been deployed along the campus malls and buildings, discouraging potential thieves.
But with an estimated 10,000 cyclists commuting to campus every day, bike theft remains the most common crime on campus, Hoyum said.
The number of bikes being stolen may be more than official reports indicate, said Sgt. Dan Masters, a spokesman for the Tempe Police Department.
Masters said people believe they'll never recover their bikes or don't feel the loss is enough of an incentive to file a report.
The relative ease of stealing a bike makes it a "crime of opportunity," Masters said.
One such victim is Katie Gomez, a pre-business freshman, whose Trek bicycle was stolen a week after school started. She locked it outside her residence hall one afternoon and woke up the next morning to find only the front wheel and locks.
"I only had it out here for a week and a half," Gomez said. "I was going to start riding it that day to class."
Bike riders don't often secure their bikes properly. They should use strong U-type locks, Hoyum said.
Students also make the mistake of bringing expensive bikes to campus, he said.
"Don't bring a $2,000 mountain bike to campus and expect that you're not going to increase your chances of having it stolen," he said.
Bike riders should also take advantage of a bike registration program ASU operates under Tempe law, he said.
"You increase greatly your chance of having that bike reported," Hoyum said.
ASU police are working with the Student Recreation Complex to offer the registration system for the University's recently resurrected Bike Co-Op program, which allows students to rent bikes for a small fee, Hoyum said.
Reach the reporter at grayson.steinberg@asu.edu.
