Baiting a Bicycle Thief

This spring 2011 issue of TechBeat discusses a program implemented by the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) police department to reduce bicycle thefts on campus. According to the UCSB police department, bicycle thefts are the most frequent type of campus crime. In order to deal with this problem, the UCSB police developed a bait bike outfitted with a GPS tracking device. This bike was set out around campus to allow the police to collect statistical data on when and where bike thefts were most likely to occur. This data allows department officials to focus on peak times for when bikes are stolen and where the thefts are most likely to occur. Department officials hope to outfit the bait bike with a camera and catch a bike thief in the act.