Every semester, the Department of Public Safety searches campus for missing bicycles. This year, however, the number of bike thefts has been relatively low, officials said.

DPS Lt. Steve Hasstedt said only 10 bicycle thefts were reported to DPS from Aug. 23 to Sept. 23. This, he says, is a small number compared to an average year.

“With the number of bikes we have around here in one month, it’s a nice number to have,” he said. “You would think there would be more.”

DPS Director Loras Jaeger said bicycle theft is common on virtually all university campuses.

“If you talk to [University of Northern Iowa] or [University of] Iowa or any other school, they will have that problem,” he said. “A university is a confined area with many expensive bicycles. It’s an attractive location for thievery.”

Bicycle thefts are one of the most common types of theft, Jaeger said. Unfortunately, the bicycles are not usually found.

“Sometimes we find bicycles that are taken from point A to point B,” he said. “We tend not to find the expensive [bikes]. They’re usually not taken from point A to point B.”

The cheaper bicycles that cost about $100 are found more frequently than the expensive bicycles that cost $1,000 or more.

“Sometimes the bicycles are taken out of town and sold,” Hasstedt said. “A lot of times, we do impound one that whoever stole it, abandoned it.”

Chris Zahrt, freshman in computer engineering, reported to DPS that his bicycle was stolen from a rack near Maple Hall on Sept. 23. His estimated loss was $100.

“It wasn’t chained up when it got stolen,” he said. “The bike rack was full, so there wasn’t [any] place to chain it to, so I left it there. When I went to get it the next day, it was gone.”

Zahrt said there wasn’t anything DPS could do to locate his bicycle because it wasn’t registered, and he didn’t know the serial number.

“Actually, I found it [Sept. 29] a few dorms away when I was walking back to class,” he said. “There wasn’t anything wrong with it. Someone probably needed a ride somewhere.”

Zahrt said from now on, he will probably lock his bike a little more often.

Both Jaeger and Hasstedt said students should license their bicycles. This can be done at the DPS office in the Armory at no cost.

“Licensing helps in recovery. We record the serial number and the registration number we give the [student],” Jaeger said. “Even if they peel the number off, we can cross check it with the serial number and try to find out who the owner is.”

In addition to licensing, Hasstedt said using a high quality U-lock and parking properly are musts.

“A majority of the bicycles that are stolen are locked; some are not,” he said. “[Thieves] cut the lock, or if it is a chain, they will cut the chain. If they are not properly parked or locked up, they can be taken with little effort.”

Some bikes are not stolen but are removed by DPS because of improper parking, Jaeger said.

“We’ll impound bicycles if they are improperly parked in a handicap area or if one bicycle is attached to another,” he said. “[Students] could report it, but generally those get back to the owners.”

Jaeger added anyone caught stealing a bicycle will be charged with theft depending on the cost of the bicycle being stolen.