In-street bike racks are being installed at different spots throughout Ocean City, and they are one way to keep bikes safe from being stolen.
Ocean City police have investigated more than 60 thefts in the past three weeks, according the weekly activity reports provided by the department.
The reports show, for instance, that officers responded to nine reported thefts on Wednesday, Aug. 19 alone. A cluster of them were from Sixth to 11th streets, with police called before noon.
"Most of these are bicycle thefts that probably occurred during the night but are not reported until morning," Ocean City Police Capt. Steve Ang said. "When you see a call on the boardwalk they are either a shoplifting (theft) or bicycle theft. When occurring elsewhere, they are usually a bicycle or from a vehicle."
The trend is not unusual for the summer for the department, which responds to 100 to 300 bike thefts a year, according to recent statistics.
Ang has said leaving bicycles outside and unlocked is the most common scenario, but he also pointed to potential mistakes that might be a little less evident.
Some bicycle owners with four-digit combination locks spin only one number when they lock their bikes. It makes it easy for owners ... and thieves ... to unlock bikes.
Ang also said bikes have been stolen from garages with a back door that had been left unlocked.
"There's a false sense of security that if it's in a garage, it's safe," Ang said.
Some stolen bikes are abandoned and recovered by police and others are moved out of town and sold.
The weekly reports serve as a good reminder to make sure bikes and garages are locked.
See reports:
