Students can prevent bike thefts

College senior Rachael Muecke uses two locks to secure her bike before entering class -- one to secure her bike's frame to the rack and the other to lock the back tire to the frame. She credits the strategy -- which also includes never leaving her bike outside overnight -- with preventing her bike from being stolen during her years at Penn. "I figure that it's easier for a thief to take another person's bike and another person's tire that only has one lock," she explained, adding that the entire process takes about 45 seconds. Muecke attributes her diligence to the recurring fear that her bike may be stolen. University Police report that bikes remain the most commonly stolen single item on campus. Since January, 171 bike have been reported stolen. The highest number of thefts has occurred around the bike racks on 36th and 37th streets between Locust and Hamilton walks. University Police have issued several recommendations to prevent bike theft, including registering bikes with the department and purchasing Kryptonite locks. Students can register their bikes for free at the Victim Support/Special Services Division of Public Safety office at 3927 Walnut Street. The department registered about 300 bikes during a registration drive at the beginning of this year. Police register the bike by placing a sticker and engraving an identification number -- usually the owner's Social Security number -- onto the bike. The department also keeps a record of the registration to be able to notify owners if a stolen bike is recovered. Officers can also use the identification number to verify ownership when they believe a person is riding a stolen bike. Additionally, the engraved identification number always remains on the bike, regardless of whether a thief paints the bike or attempts to otherwise change its appearance. "With the bike registered, it's like having a little ownership card to your bike. It's all in the computer," explained Special Services Department employee Tamika Williams, adding that the registration sticker often serves to deter thieves. "The difference between having the sticker and not having the sticker is like the difference between having a club and not having a club on your car." The department suggests that bike riders use a Kryptonite lock, which is for sale at the station for $30. And students should attach their bikes to a fixed, immovable item such as a rack or parking meter -- not to a tree or chain-linked fence. Also, bikes should be secured to the rack's horizontal bar because the small vertical bars can be cut easily. Police also stress that students should remove their front wheel and lock it to the rear wheel of their bikes, and they should also use additional locks to secure quick-release wheels and seats. The department urges students whose bikes were stolen to file a report as quickly as possible, and note that the department has recovered nine of this year's 171 stolen bikes. In October, the department auctions off any recovered bikes that have not been claimed. This year they sold approximately 40 bikes.