Bike registration program aims to curb HBPD stolen bike auctions
by Kevin Cody It used to be common for Hermosa Cyclery to lose several bikes a week to thieves. “Then our pal Craig Barnes of Marina Bike Rentals, a former Redondo Beach policeman, suggested we stop using cable locks and start using hardened steel chain locks. That was four or five years ago and rental bike thefts have virtually ended,” Hermosa Cyclery co-owner Steve Collins said. Collins shares Barnes’ advice with customers, but still, he frequently hears of customers’ bikes being stolen. “Sadly, there’s little to no chance of recovering a stolen bike currently,” Collins said. “Owners often don’t report bicycle thefts, so we have no way of proving a bicycle is stolen if it’s found, and no way of knowing where to return a stolen bicycle when we recover it,” said HBPD Lieutenant Dorothy Scheid. About 150 bicycle thefts were reported in Hermosa Beach last year. Almost as many, 147, were recovered by police, but sent to auction because police were unable to identify the auctioned bikes’ owners. This week, the Hermosa police announced Project 532, a program designed to help the department return stolen bikes they recover to their owners. Bike owners can participate in the program by…
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