To catch a bike thief
UW-Madison University police right to plant bait bikes
Spectator Staff
Issue date: 9/18/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
Pee-wee Herman may want to move to Madison if he wants to feel a little safer about leaving his bike around.
According to a Sept. 14 Associated Press article, UW-Madison has begun using Global Positioning System satellite units on bikes to catch bike thieves in action around the area. The bikes fitted with a small and concealed GPS are planted around campus as bait. If the bike moves, university police use the GPS units to track and find the normal looking bikes and make an arrest.
The program is a great way to dissuade potential bike thieves from committing the actual act. With the Madison campus being as large as it is and containing an enormous amount of bicycles, as much as possible should be done to prevent bikes from being stolen. Bikes are the lifeline for a lot of people in that particular community, having their bike stolen could hurt them financially and in regards to their travel arrangements.
At the same time, this should not be the only place Madison looks to prevent bike thefts. Offering a program in which community members could purchase a GPS system from authorities and have them installed could further prevent bicycle thefts in the area. This type of program, if made cost affective, could aid in bringing in finances for the university police allowing more money for bike theft programs.
Although planting a GPS in bikes is a step in the right direction, the only way to completely deter potential bike thieves would be to get as many bikes as possible installed with the tracking technology. Offering this program would do that and not cause people to wonder if the simply planted bikes may or may not deter potential bike thieves. The anxiety over leaving a bike somewhere and wondering if it will be there when one comes back would therefore be eliminated along with a large number of bicycle thefts.
According to a Sept. 14 Associated Press article, UW-Madison has begun using Global Positioning System satellite units on bikes to catch bike thieves in action around the area. The bikes fitted with a small and concealed GPS are planted around campus as bait. If the bike moves, university police use the GPS units to track and find the normal looking bikes and make an arrest.
The program is a great way to dissuade potential bike thieves from committing the actual act. With the Madison campus being as large as it is and containing an enormous amount of bicycles, as much as possible should be done to prevent bikes from being stolen. Bikes are the lifeline for a lot of people in that particular community, having their bike stolen could hurt them financially and in regards to their travel arrangements.
At the same time, this should not be the only place Madison looks to prevent bike thefts. Offering a program in which community members could purchase a GPS system from authorities and have them installed could further prevent bicycle thefts in the area. This type of program, if made cost affective, could aid in bringing in finances for the university police allowing more money for bike theft programs.
Although planting a GPS in bikes is a step in the right direction, the only way to completely deter potential bike thieves would be to get as many bikes as possible installed with the tracking technology. Offering this program would do that and not cause people to wonder if the simply planted bikes may or may not deter potential bike thieves. The anxiety over leaving a bike somewhere and wondering if it will be there when one comes back would therefore be eliminated along with a large number of bicycle thefts.
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