More thieves are peddling away with bikes from Santa Cruz

Bicycling is a big part of the culture in Santa Cruz. Bikes are not only popular for getting to work and school or just riding for fun. Bikes are also popular with thieves.

There’s been 2,100 bike thefts in Santa Cruz over the past six years. Santa Cruz police said they need the public’s help to be on the lookout for anything suspicious. But most people said they pay attention only after their bike is long gone.

“About a year ago I got my seat stolen. Not even two minutes in the store in Kohl’s,” said Santa Cruz resident Axel Ortiz.

“I’ve gotten three bikes stolen in this town and all at my apartment complex,” said Ann Sketchly.

“I only used a cable lock and someone must have used a bolt cutter because my bike was missing,” said bike theft victim, Jared Harvey.

You don’t have to go far to find victims of bike thefts in Santa Cruz and the loss can really hurt. Many bicyclists rely on their bikes as a main form of transportation.

“Anytime you buy a bicycle in Santa Cruz you’re actually just renting it really, until it’s taken from you,” said Harvey.

Thieves who take those bikes don’t waste time. Police said bike parts end up at chop shops for quick cash. Some bicyclists said they’re nervous about spending big bucks on a high end bike.

“I think it’s a big problem here in Santa Cruz. I don’t even look into getting a new bike because of the fact that I’m scared it’s going to get taken,” said Ortiz.

Bike thefts peaked in 2012 with 423 bicycles stolen in Santa Cruz. So far this year that number is 253 and counting.

“Thieves are opportunists so they’re always on the hunt for a bike, it could be in your neighborhood, it could be at your business, and a bike thief will steal a bike anywhere,” said Santa Cruz Police Public Information Officer Joyce Blascke.

An easy target are the homeless, who often fall asleep next their bike, but when they wake up it’s gone. The police department said at least one bike gets reported stolen every day and police can’t house them all at the station. Some start to collect dust at a warehouse in Santa Cruz where the department places hundreds of recovered bikes. Most of the bikes aren’t registered and have no way of getting back to their owner.

If you haven’t registered your bike you can do so at local fire stations. While registration is encouraged and gives bike owners peace of mind, it’s not fool proof. The downside is anyone could bring in a stolen bike and register it without the fire department knowing.

The city has installed bike lockers around downtown to prevent thefts but if you have to lock up on a bike rack, the u-lock is the best option. Police also suggest locking up in a well-lit area.

“I think as a community we got to work more together to make sure this doesn’t happen,” said Ortiz.

Some bike shops in Santa Cruz said they’re doing what they can to help folks ride again.

“The bikes that we sell, we track the serial numbers and the customers profile so if there’s a bike that’s stolen we can easily search that serial number in our data base,” said general manager of Family Cycling Center, Bob Barwick.

Its a system Barwick said the Family Cycling Center uses on a weekly basis and works with police to recover stolen bikes.

“They recover a bike and it has a sticker of our bike shop name in it. They’ll call the store and we’ll try to do our best to research that record for them,” said Barwick.

Since its Santa Cruz after all, the city even has a place called “The Bike Church.”

“We provide a space where people can come to work on their bike or purchase a cheap bike so that they can improve their lives,” said Bike Church member, Jillian Browy.

Money isn’t a problem at Bike Church. People can work at the shop to earn store credit towards parts or even another bike. But after putting in all that hard work, losing that bike to a theft can be a nightmare.

“There is a special ring in hell, is what I usually say to people joking around. Dante’s inferno, one of the rings of hell is for bike thieves,” said Browy.

The Bike Chuch said they purposely don’t buy or trade bicycles and only take donated bikes from the community. As for unclaimed bikes, Santa Cruz Police donate those to the city’s teen center where they distribute free bicycles to local kids every month.

PREVIOUS STORY: Santa Cruz police say bike thefts have been a growing problem for the city. There’s been more than 2,100 bikes reported stolen since 2009.

Now the department says they receive at least one call about a stolen bike a day.

Stay tuned for Thursday’s 11 p.m. newscast as News Channel 5 reporter Brandon Castillo speaks with bike theft victims and community members who are trying to help.