According to the Department Campus Safety (DCS), bicycle theft has increased since last year, from zero reported incidents in 2013 to 14 this year.

Sgt. Stephen Banet of DCS stated the issue is a concern for the DU community, and officers have been working to catch thieves in action.

“The biggest places where the largest amount of bikes are taken are from Centennial Halls and Towers,” said Banet. “However, the last two bike reports we took [as of April 11], one student said that they had not locked their bike and the bike was stolen. In the other one, the bike was locked incorrectly with the U-lock just around the front wheel, so the thief just released the wheel and took the bike, leaving the wheel and the lock.”

According to DCS reports, the thefts are not being carried out by a single individual, but rather by multiple persons acting alone or in small groups during the night and in the early morning hours. In addition, DCS successfully apprehended four non-DU affiliated individuals who attempted to steal bikes over spring break, one at Towers and the other three at Halls. The individuals at Halls were in possession of bolt cutters to break locks.

All four individuals were later revealed to have criminal histories or active warrants by DCS and the Denver Police Department (DPD).

“With the incident at Halls, one had no warrants, but he had an extensive criminal history,” said Banet. “The second had active warrants and an extensive criminal history, and he was later taken to jail. The third had no warrants, but was charged with possession of burglary tools. The person at Towers had a warrant for his arrest for burglary.”

In response, DCS is directing its main focus on bike thefts at Halls and Towers.

Banet assures students that DCS is actively monitoring any new developments in bike thefts, and reminds students to properly secure their bikes with a U-lock.

“We’re trying to watch [thieves] as much as possible,” said Banet. “Patrol officers have been directed, whenever they’re in the area [of Halls and Towers], to make sure that they check the bike racks for people hanging around them. For students, just make sure you’re properly locking your bike using a U-lock. Even this week while we were patrolling the bike racks we encountered six bikes we discovered that were not secured, just sitting there, so lock your bike.”

For any further questions, students can contact DCS at 303-871-2000 or through their website.