Bicycle theft rates remain high

For the victims of at least 18 reported bicycle thefts so far this semester and for the students who lock their bicycles up every day, here is some good news: the bad guys do get caught.

Officer Walter Focht, a nine-year veteran of the University Police at Cal State Long Beach, arrested one of two suspects Monday after a short chase through a neighborhood off of Atherton Street.

Focht said he saw two men who appeared to be transients riding brand new mountain bikes, prompting him to pull the men over for questioning.

"Instead of stopping, they turned around and rode past me in the other direction," Focht said. "Eventually they split up and I had to pick one to pursue. I chased him into a backyard."

The suspect, described as a transient in his late 30s, was cited for possession of a hypodermic needle and for resisting arrest, Focht said. Later, a charge of possessing stolen property was added to the report when the crime victim identified his bicycle.

The other suspect was able to get away.

According to police crime statistics, most of the bicycle thefts this semester have occurred near the Liberal Arts Buildings and the University Library.

Police explain this Upper Campus pattern of crime with several characteristics, including its proximity to a major bus stop, the amount of activity which causes a thief to blend in easily, and the group of criminals who are hitting the campus this particular semester.

"In past semesters, we've had more thefts occur from the dorm areas," Focht said. "Those thefts were usually by young kids on the street hitting late at night. Now, it's more likely to be a transient, possibly a group of them working together."

Focht described another arrest he made in February where the suspect was caught with bolt cutters in his backpack. This was the third time the same man had been arrested by University Police.

Unfortunately, Focht said, most transients don't show up for their court dates and continue to walk the streets until they are caught again.

Students who have had property stolen from them should immediately report it to the police. "If you don't report, we can't recover," said Focht, who estimates the actual number of bicycle thefts to be double the number reported to police.

Reporting a theft also helps police to analyze any crime patterns such as what locations are most hit, what times of day are most crimes happening, and how are things being stolen.

In addition, police encourage students to report any suspicious people who are hanging around bike racks, loitering, or seem out of place on campus.

"Usually people have a gut feeling that something is wrong," Focht said. "We would prefer people call us. Maybe it's nothing, but we want to check it out."

Students can report suspicious subjects or actual crimes by calling University Police at (310) 985-4101. The police are located on Lower Campus inside the Plant Operations building on Palo Verde Avenue.