Bait Bike bags bicycle bandits

As bicycling becomes a larger part of America’s mobility mix, “thieves appear to be taking a growing interest in two-wheeled travel as well,” The New York Times reported June 27. Through mid-May, the number of bicycles reported stolen in New York jumped by about 35 percent when compared with the same period last year.

Across the country, police are responding in varied ways. Authorities in Boston have used Twitter and Facebook to publicize bicycle thefts and mobilize a response. In San Francisco, hidden transmitters have been installed on some bikes, which are set out as bait to catch thieves. A company named Bait Bike has been selling radio-tracking technology to law enforcement agencies since 2002. Although some bike thefts are committed by amateurs, Sgt. Todd Deluca of the Sacramento County, California, Sheriff’s Department said his agency has discovered that a considerable number involve “pretty heavy-duty criminals.”