Published: Oct. 9, 2019
Bike racks on campus

Bike theft is the No. 1 crime on the CU Boulder campus, so earlier this year the CU Boulder Police Department (CUPD) revamped their bait bike program. And, the program has showed great results.

So far in 2019, eight bike thieves have been arrested. Generally, bike theft is a misdemeanor crime. But, several of the arrests associated with CUPD bait bikes have included felony charges. That is because some of the suspects have been caught with burglary tools, a Class 5 felony; in possession of drugs, which can be a felony; and outstanding felony warrants.

Tips for preventing No. 1 crime on campus: Bike theft

To help prevent bike theft from happening to you, follow these safety tips and watch the short video provided by the CU Boulder Police Department.

A bait bike is a regular bike that a police department purchases which has an added feature, a small GPS tracker. The bike is placed somewhere on campus, then, when it starts to move, the CUPD dispatch center is notified. They can follow the bike on a map through GPS and direct officers to the exact location.

While many people may think that a stolen bike is not a big deal, we understand that for many people in our community, their bicycle is their primary means of personal transportation. That’s why we take bike theft very seriously.

If your bike is ever stolen, please go the police website and click on “Records and Reports” and then “Report an incident.” Also, don’t forget to register your bike by stopping by one of the bike stations on Main Campus. If a stolen bike is registered, it will make it easier to get your bike back to you when we recover it.