College campuses across the country are generally safe places for the students attending them, and our campus is no different. In many instances, though, this leads to a relaxed attitude toward personal safety and security measures, and students tend to let their guard down. A majority of the crimes that occur on campus are crimes of opportunity. One area in which we typically see this is in bicycle thefts. Bicycle thefts have become a growing problem on college campuses and Wesleyan is no exception. If you have a bike on campus, please keep the following tips in mind:

-Always secure your bike with a heavy duty U lock. Cable locks are easily cut.

-Use indoor bike racks when possible as opposed to outdoor racks.

-Secure the bike by locking the front tire and frame to the rack.

-Use a cable lock in addition to a U lock to further thwart the theft of your bike.

– Register your bike on campus so your serial number is recorded.

Public Safety will be conducting two bicycle registration sessions in September. The first will be held this Thursday, September 10th, from 11:30am-1pm in the Huss Courtyard at Usdan. The second registration session will be held on Wednesday, September 16th, from 11:30am-1pm in the Huss Courtyard at Usdan. We hope you will stop by to register your bike. All registered bike owners will receive a gift from Public Safety and will be entered in to a raffle for a U lock.

We encourage you to visit our website at www.wesleyan.edu/publicsafety where you can also register your bike online. Our site also contains helpful information about our office and important crime prevention tips.

Always remember, “Lock It or Lose It.”

Verrillo is a Lieutenant for Wesleyan’s Public Safety.