Bike bandits prowl Pilot property

By Luke Riela, Staff Writer -- riela14@up.edu

Over the fall break, five students had their bikes stolen from the bike racks in front of Tyson and Haggerty halls, even though all the bikes were secured with cable locks.

These thefts brought the total number of bike thefts since September to 20, according to Harold Burke-Sivers, Director of Public Safety.

The large number of bike thefts prompted Burke-Sivers to send out an e-mail on Oct. 28 alerting students of the problem, as well as explaining how to avoid future thefts.

Senior Alex Brotherston was one of the fall break bike theft victims.

According to Brotherston, the thefts occurred "sometime between Friday and Sunday" over fall break.

"I noticed four or five other locks had been cut," Brotherston said.

Freshman Vince Roche also had his bike secured with a cable lock when it was stolen from the Corrado Hall bike racks. Roche's bike was stolen within the first month of school.

Roche regrets not moving the bike inside earlier.

"It was a shame because I was going to move it into the Corrado basement that day," Roche said.

The cable locks can be an easy obstacle for the bike thieves, according to Burke-Sivers. "Bolt cutters make quick work of cable locks," Burke-Sivers said.

The bike thieves typically focus on stealing the least secured bikes.

"What they are looking for are bikes that are not locked or bikes that have cable locks," Burke-Sivers said.

"If they see a U-Lock, they are going to move on to an easier target," he said.

Burke-Sivers also stated that the bike thieves won't typically stand out.

"These people try to blend in with students," Burke-Sivers said. "They wear the clothing that students would wear, and they wear backpacks."

However, there are a few signs to look out for.

"They will hang around bike racks, but not walk into any buildings," Burke-Sivers warned, adding the University of Portland is a target for bike thieves mainly due to its accessibility.

"We are such an open campus," Burke-Sivers said. "We have city streets running through the campus."

In Burke-Sivers' e-mail, he gave some tips to how students can avoid getting their bikes stolen. He suggests that students review UP's Bicycle Policy Online, register their bikes with Public Safety, and purchase a U-Lock at the Public Safety Department for $20.

Another way to keep the bike thieves off campus is by letting Public Safety know of suspicious behavior.

"If you see something suspicious, call us immediately," Burke-Sivers said. "Don't wait until after class."

To keep bike thefts from occurring over break again, Burke-Sivers advises not leaving bikes on the bike racks during breaks.

"Over break, students should store their bikes inside or take them off campus," Burke-Sivers said.

To avoid theft, Public Safety will move unsecured bikes into holding areas until the owners of the bike returns with proof of a bike lock, according to Burke-Sivers.

"We will check the bike racks a couple times a day for unsecured bikes, and we will secure them in the Office of Public Safety," Burke-Sivers said. "We will have them register it right there, and make sure they have a lock or else the same thing happens again" he said. 

This isn't the first time UP has faced a large amount of bike thefts.

"The last time we had thefts like this was three or four years ago in another economic downturn," Burke-Sivers said.

Past experiences preventing bike thefts have proved that the safety tips are effective.

"It really helped reduce the amount of bike thefts before," Burke-Sivers said.

By following the steps to avoid bike theft and reporting suspicious individuals, Burke-Sivers believes UP students can eliminate the threat of bike thieves on campus.

"The more we are able to catch these folks, the more word spreads that University of Portland is not the place to go to take bikes," Burke-Sivers said.