A student bikes down Cady Mall and past Hayden Lawn on the Tempe campus. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman)With bicycles being a prevalent form of transportation among students, the Tempe Police Department is asking bike owners to register and provide selfies with their rides for easy identification.
The program, which is being called A Photo Can Frame a Thief, began in late August and requires people to register their bicycles through the Tempe Police Department and provide a photo of the bike to help in the identification process if their bike is stolen.
City of Tempe spokeswoman Amanda Nelson said the program is designed to bring stolen bikes and owners back together with greater success.
“It’s a bike registration program, so if a bike is stolen or lost, the bike can be returned to the owner,” she said. “The photo is to help more in the identification process.”
Tempe Police Sgt. Michael Pooley of the Tempe Police Department said the photos are the main thing with the new bike registration program compared to years before where forms were filled out with identification markers and serial numbers.
“Taking photos is the main thing and putting them in the database,” he said. “We find so many bikes that look as if they are stolen, and the main thing is having the serial number for your bike. Many times we find bikes that we have no way of identifying them, because serial numbers are scratched off.”
Even without a serial number, a photo on file can help police return a bike to its rightful owner.
“We have recovered 30 or 40 bikes at a time and people will call in and say they believe the bike is theirs, but without identifying markers, we cannot return the bikes without the serial number, a receipt or a photo,” Pooley said.
With many students flooding Tempe in August, the number of bicycles increases exponentially, which also brings out the thieves.
“For many people here in Tempe, their main form of transportation is a bike, and it is pretty sad, but criminals come to look for easy victims,” Pooley said.
The new photo registration process will help address the large volume of stolen bikes in Tempe, Nelson said.
“It’s always a challenge in a college town like Tempe with the high number of bikes, and when bikes get stolen, the registration process helps get them back to their owner,” Nelson said.
Ryan Guzy, former President of the Tempe Bicycle Action Group, said he is glad the Tempe Police Department is focusing on stolen bikes.
“I’m glad they are focusing on bike thefts and am really glad to see that emphasis,” he said.
Guzy said students new to the area who ride bikes should stick to public areas and use common sense.
“Make sure you get a good lock and park in public places,” he said. “Some places in town even let you bring your bike inside.”
Reach the reporter at jshanco2@asu.edu or follow on Twitter @joey_hancock.
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