Preventing Bicycle Thefts: What Darien Police Are Doing and What You Can Do

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Bicycle Bike Darien Railroad Station Darien Train Station 09-18-17

The blue bike near the center of this 2016 Darienite.com file photo is locked, but not with a U-shaped lock. The rack it's attached to is designed to make it easier to lock the bike.

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After four locked bicycles recently were stolen from bike racks at the Darien and Noroton Heights railroad station, Darienite.com asked police Detective James Palmieri, a spokesman for the department, what police are doing and what bicycle owners can do to make the thefts less likely.

Bicycle Bike Darien Railroad Station Darien Train Station 09-18-17

The blue bike near the center of this 2016 Darienite.com file photo is locked, but with a cable lock, not a U-shaped lock. The rack it’s attached to is designed to make it easier to lock the bike.

 

The recent thefts are only the latest spate in a long problem with stolen bicycles in town. Many unlocked bicycles are stolen from various locations around Darien, but bikes tend to be locked up at the train stations while commuters are at work.

One suggestion Palmieri made for bicycle owners was to record the serial number of the bicycle: Knowing it can help police when they look through pawn shop records or if they suspect a bicycle is stolen and want to confirm it.

Here’s what Palmieri said in an email exchange:

Darienite.com: Have police started watching the bike racks more closely? 

Palmieri: Yes, we have a general time frame that seems to be when these bikes go missing so we have been watching during those times.

Q: Are there specific kinds of locks that can be used to make these thefts more difficult? Was there anything about the locks used for these stolen bikes that made them easier to cut than other locks? Would the department recommend locks with certain features? 

A: I think that those smaller chain-style combination locks (with vinyl over chain or wire) are more easily cut than the more expensive U-shaped locks. It’s certainly more of a deterrent.

Q: Can bike owners do anything else to make it harder on thieves?

A: One issue we have is that people don’t record the serial number of their bikes after the purchase. If we were to see a suspect riding a bike similar to the one stolen, it’s difficult to show that the suspect didn’t buy the same one of off the rack at Walmart, for instance.

Also, if someone pawns a bike for money, the serial number is filed with the transaction as well as a copy of the person’s ID who pawned it. We can search pawn records for the stolen bike’s serial number.

Lastly, it allows us to enter a “stolen bike” file into the Connecticut law enforcement systems. That way if I bike is found, any law enforcement agency can see that we have reported it as stolen. Without the serial number, we have fewer tools to work with.

Q: A while back a different type of bicycle rack was installed at the Noroton Heights station in order to make bicycles easier to secure when they’re locked to it. Were they used with these stolen bicycles at the Darien station? Would that have made a difference?

A: The rack didn’t really play a factor here as the locks were cut. No matter what your bike is locked to, if the lock is severed the bike is free.

CORRECTION: Darienite.com originally reported that all four of the recent bicycle thefts occurred at the Darien Railroad Station. The Wednesday, Sept. 13 theft was at the Noroton Heights station.

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