“It’s always a positive step to do something proactive to tackle a problem, and for bike theft on campus, we have been taking a strongly proactive approach,” says police chief Amanda Carrier.
“We call it our Bait Bike program, a GPS tracking-based system that allows us to equip ‘bait bikes’ with a tiny GPS unit which we can easily track as soon as that bike is moved from its location,” Carrier says.
The technology is provided through a third-party leasing contract, and students are made aware of the program at summer orientation. Students are all provided with stickers for their bikes that indicate “This may be a Bait Bike” with the campus police logo.
“The trick is that some of our bait bikes have the sticker on them and some don’t. Sadly, we have several repeat offenders taking bikes in this area, and that uncertainty with the stickers has proven to be a effective deterrent,” Carrier says.
Campus stats and security recommendations for bikes
Much like the city of Eau Claire itself, bicycle theft is a fairly consistent problem, Carrier says of the big-picture crime numbers for the area.
“Since January of 2023 we have had 24 bike thefts, with 13 of those being successful bait bike deployments and recoveries,” she says, adding that in the last month, there were four bike thefts on campus.
Since 2023, Carrier says campus has seen 80 documented theft cases of various items, including bikes, laptops, jewelry, purses, money, clothing, scooters, vehicle plates and earbuds/headphones.
“Campus theft is less prevalent than general community numbers, but we still want to remind students of the best ways to keep their bikes as resistant to theft as possible — again, prevention is always the best course when possible,” Carrier says.
Tips for securing/recovering your bike
First and foremost, Carrier says that registering a bike by serial number when students first arrive on campus is a crucial step, followed by reporting their stolen bike with the police right away.
“Campus shares a database of registered bikes with the cities of Eau Claire, Altoona and Fall Creek,” Carrier says. “A good number of registered bikes are recovered through this system when they are dumped somewhere, pawned or officers come across them in a different investigation.”
Beyond that important registration, the following measures will help make a campus-stored bike less appealing to a would-be thief:
- Secure your bike only to official campus bike racks, not a tree or railing.
- Use the U-Lock style lock over the flexible cable — the cable locks are much easier to cut with a readily available cutting tool.
- Remove all high-dollar detachable accessories from your bike, like an upgraded seat, GPS and high-end pedals.
- Owners should check on their locked bike as frequently as possible, and bikes should not be left on campus over academic breaks.
- At night, try to use the racks located in lighted areas of campus.
- Report immediately if your bike is stolen.
Part of what makes the Eau Claire campus and community an enjoyable place to live, work and study is the extensive access to bike paths, designated traffic lanes for bikes and many miles of rural trails. Follow the above safety tips from University Police to ensure the security of your trusty two-wheeled transportation year-round.
