If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that bicycle theft ranks among the most common crimes in this bike-friendly town.
“We’ve experienced quite a few over the years, and the numbers are still significant,” said Paul Doroshov, deputy chief of the Davis Police Department, which took 567 bike-theft reports in 2019.
This year, 360 bike thefts had been reported as of Aug. 31, the bulk of them — just over 70 percent — snatched during the ongoing shelter-in-place order that began on March 19.
And those are the ones that go reported. Many more do not.
As it has in prior years, the Police Department is trying to tamp down thefts by embarking on a “bait bike” sting operation — leaving high-end, unlocked bikes out in public with the intent of catching those who act on these crimes of opportunity.
Since launching the operation in mid-August, officers assigned to the Community-Oriented Policing and Problem-Solving (COPPS) team have nabbed four alleged thieves — one each night the bikes were deployed.
“They wait until someone takes the bike and rides away on it” before making their move, Doroshov said. The result: an arrest on grand-theft charges, given the value of the bait bikes — donated by local community groups — at well over the $950 felony threshold.
As word gets out and perhaps deters future crimes, “we’re hoping it makes a dent in the bike-theft rate,” Doroshov said.
Of the four arrests made so far, three suspects have come from out of town. One even suspected the bike was a lure — his friend was busted for the same offense — but decided to take it anyway.
“Just about everyone they’ve arrested has had an extensive arrest history,” Doroshov said. One suspect reportedly was found in possession of brass knuckles, while others had illicit drugs or were on bail for prior offenses.
In addition to the bike stings, police plan to launch an educational campaign aimed at urging bicycle owners to license their wheels and make note of their unique serial numbers in case they need to file a theft report. Providing a picture of the missing bike is helpful too.
Doing so helps to increase recovery and return rates, which historically are dismal at best — just under five percent in 2019, only slightly better so far this year at just over seven percent.
“We’re trying to attack the problem with a multi-pronged approach,” Doroshov said. “For some people, (bicycles) are not just a recreational tool — this is their transportation. It’s akin taking somebody’s car away.”
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene