Inside Boulder police's bike impound bay, hundreds of bikes need to be returned
KDVR Fox 31
BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — Boulder police are on a reunion mission, one involving hundreds of bikes.
Inside Boulder Police Department’s bike impound bay, every hook, every row is filled with bikes.
“Currently, we have over 200 bikes in this room,” Boulder Police Department Evidence Technician Jen Torrez said. “When we came in Monday morning, we had a notification that we had 11 bikes waiting for us to process.”
In order to clear some space and make some meaningful reunions, the department is asking for people to take pictures of their bikes and serial numbers which are typically on the frame near the bike pedals.
Then, they want you to upload those photos when you register your bike with Bike Index.
“It's free, it's simple and it comes with the app or the option to upload a photo,” Torrez said. “ Those photos are super helpful to us because sometimes you might not know the serial number or the person who was in possession of it or took it removed the serial number or for some reason it's not there.”
When a bike is recovered and it has not been reported as stolen or registered with Bike Index, Boulder police will hold it for 30 days. If the bike is registered or reported as stolen, the department holds it for 60 days. If the bike isn’t claimed in these time frames, they are donated or put up for auction.
To avoid having your bike stolen, BPD also recommends the following:
- Use a U-lock instead of a cable lock or even two locks
- If your front wheel has a quick release, remove it and place it next to your rear wheel. Loop your U-lock through the rear triangle so that you can secure the wheel(s), frame and bike rack all together.
- Park at bike racks in high-traffic and well-lit areas.
If you think your bike may have been stolen and/or recovered, the best thing to do is to call the Boulder Police Department's Property and Evidence Unit at 303-441-3340.