Bicycle thefts drive up Decatur crime stats
Through October Decatur’s total number of 2015 crimes are up 13.5 percent over this time last year, according to the city’s Uniform Crime Reports. Decatur has had 706 thefts through Oct. compared to 611 at the same time last year. The main reason, according to P.I.O. Lt. Jennifer Ross is the escalation in bicycle thefts, 48 alone since August 1.
“It’s a trend we’re seeing all over the area, not just Decatur,” Ross said. “It’s like a few years ago I-Pod thefts were popular, and then I-Pads. There are now more people with high-end bikes, so there’s more of a [illegal] market for them. We’re seeing them turn up in pawn shops and being sold in the back of trucks on street corners.”
Ross said the big change Decatur police have made recently is holding more bicycle registration events, usually one every six weeks—there’s one 4-7 p.m. Wednesday at the First Baptist Church Decatur, 308 Clairemont Avenue—as opposed to only one or two a year.
