Bike thieves are finding success in Anchorage. Three-hundred-and-five people reported stolen bikes in May and June of this year. Two-hundred-and-thirteen bikes were reported stolen during the same period in 2015, according to APD. Some people have had multiple bikes stolen.
“I keep getting them stolen. I’m an expert at that,” said Katie Hahn, who has had two bikes stolen since May. She suffered her most recent loss Sunday, when her recumbent bike was taken.
“There’s just not much you can do. It’s really hard to track stuff,” said Hahn.
Police said roughly 10 to 15 percent of bikes turned into them are eventually returned to owners. Tracking down bikes, they said, is a challenge.
“They’re ditched. They’re left behind,” said APD spokesperson Anita Shell. “Very rarely do we get finger prints or something like that off bicycles.”
APD had several recommendations for bike owners:
- Take a picture of your bike
- Know your bike’s make and model
- Record your bike’s serial number (often located underneath the frame of the bike)
- Invest in a good lock
- Keep your bike indoors, if possible
Dozens of pictures of stolen bicycles line the bulletin boards of The Bicycle Shop in Midtown. The shop’s sales manager said there has been a spike in the number of stolen bikes during the last year-and-a-half.
“We have had days when we’ve had four or five people come in with their bikes stolen,” said Rick Kelly.
Police said they do not know who the thieves are, nor the reason behind the upward trend. Shell said the 85 to 90 percent of bikes for which they cannot locate the owner are auctioned off through the YMCA each spring.
KTVA 11′s Eric Ruble can be reached via email or on Facebook and Twitter.
