Four bikes have been reported stolen on campus in 2015, and two were reported on the same day.
On Feb. 24, the bikes were stolen outside Residence Hall One.
Although there are cameras outside RHO, they are outdated and don’t work as well at night, which was when the bikes went missing.
Lt. Reggie Oliver of the USF St. Petersburg Police Department told The Crow’s Nest that the information technology department has been informed of the problem with the cameras and are working to get them upgraded.
One of the stolen bikes was recovered on Feb. 22, a month after the theft was reported, from Pawn Max, located at 7561 49th St. N in Pinellas Park..
The owner of the bike, Mariah Ross, registered her bike with the university police, making it easier to track down. Ross did not return calls for comment.
When bikes are registered with the campus police department, according to Lt. Oliver, they record the make, model and serial number. Once the bike is reported stolen, they enter the information into the National Crime Information Center and the Federal Citizen Information Center databases.
When the pawn shop entered the serial number, it matched and was identified as stolen.
Campus police is still working to track down the other stolen bikes, but they have not yet resurfaced.
“We would ask students to utilize high quality u-locks to secure the bikes in a well-lit area and to please register the bikes with the university police or the city police,” said Chief Hendry of the University Police Department. “The recording of the bike serial number and description is very important in the recovery of a bike.”
U-locks cannot be broken with bolt cutters, making it more difficult for thieves to steal bikes secured with u-locks.
If you have a bike you would like to register, contact the USF. St. Petersburg Police Department at 727-873-4140.
