A thick, metal chain looped around Jarrad Rolon’s bicycle three times. The lock wrapped around the bike’s frame and wheels, tightly securing his bike to the stairwell near his third-floor residence in East Campus Apartments. But the key lock was not enough to stop thieves from swiping the mechanical engineering sophomore’s bike. “I walked out of my apartment around 8:00 Sunday night, and it was just gone,” Rolon said. “I guess somebody just cut the lock.” Rolon is one of many on-campus bike theft victims. Forty-five stolen bicycles were reported to the LSU Police Department from Jan. 1, 2007 to Dec. 31, 2007, according to LSUPD spokeswoman Maj. Helen Hair. Of these 45, only nine were recovered. Rolon, shocked to see his bike missing, immediately contacted his resident adviser. Rolon said he first assumed his bike was moved because it was chained to the stairwell. After his RA confirmed the bike was not moved, Rolon reported the theft to LSUPD. Rolon said officers told him to keep his eyes open for the stolen bike around campus. He said officers told him they would do their best to recover the bike, but stolen bikes are not usually returned. Haire said 23 of the bikes were stolen between the start of August and the end of December. She said only four of the bikes stolen during the fall semester were recovered. Capt. Russell Rogé, LSUPD spokesman, said many stolen bicycles are difficult to recover because students do not have the bike’s serial number. Rogé said if a student is able to provide a serial number, LSUPD can enter the bike in the National Crime Index Computer, a world-wide database of stolen items. He said if the bike is recovered practically anywhere, the serial numbers may be found in the index, allowing the bike to be returned. Dakre Simmons, manager of The Bicycle Shop on Highland Road near campus, said there are two main types of bicycles locks – steal cables and u-locks. The cables, Simmons said, are suitable for daytime use. He said the locks are easy to cut through and are best for temporary security, such as attending class. These locks typically cost between $15 and $20, he said. Simmons recommended securing bicycles with u-lock at night or for extended periods of time. He said the sold metal locks cannot be cut without power tools, a major deterrent to thieves. Simmons said u-locks generally cost between $25 and $30. Simmons said he hears customers complain of bike thefts occurring in areas surrounding campus. He said ideally, students should bring their bicycles indoors at night. Rogé said although there is no way to know, he suspects some students do not report stolen bicycles. He said he believes many of the unreported bikes are ones students frequently use or of much value. This is the case for Kyle Chatelain, finance sophomore. Chatelain was living in East Laville during the 2006 fall semester when his bicycle was stolen. He said his bike was secured to a rack with a cable lock in front of the residence hall. “I was looking to get a new bike anyway,” said Chatelain, who did not report the theft to LSUPD. He said he primarily uses his bike for recreational purposes, and the theft did not pose any inconveniences. Rogé said when perpetrators are caught, they face theft charges. He said if the stolen bicycle is worth more than $300, the suspect will face a felony theft charge. Laura Godfrey, English sophomore, leaves her bike locked outside ECA. She said she always leaves her combination lock on the same scrambled numbers. She said on more than one occasion she has returned to her bike to find the code she left on the lock changed. Gary Graham, director of the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, said his office collects unclaimed recovered bicycles on campus. He said the unclaimed bikes are auctioned annually to members of the University community. He said the bikes are sold for anywhere between $1 and $50 depending on the bike’s quality. He said most are sold for $10 to $20. He said no profits are typically made from the sale as advertising, and the set-up cost of the auction exceed the revenue collected. “We do this as a service to the students,” Graham said. “However, this year with Student Government and ECO, we gave the bikes to them to fix up and paint for use in the Gold Bike program to encourage bike usage.”
—-Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected]