Bike thefts in Durango jumped into the double digits each month beginning in June, dropped off mysteriously in August, then continued to climb to a yearlong high in October. And it’s not over yet.
“We are still getting bicycle thefts that are coming in,” said Durango Police Sgt. Detective Chris Thomson. “I just released a stolen bike that we recovered last week to a lady that had it stolen up on County Road 203, and literally while I was doing that we had an additional report that came in of another bike being stolen on County Road 203. So it is definitely still happening and I don’t see a decrease yet.”
Seventy-five bikes were reported stolen to Durango police between Jan. 1 and Nov. 1. Thirty-four of those were reported stolen since August. Twenty-four have been recovered. The monthly breakdown of thefts is as follows: January, zero; February, three; March, five; April, four; May, five; June, 12; July, 12; August, six; September, 11; and October, 17.
Along with the increase in thefts has been an increase the value of the bikes that are being stolen. With that in mind, Durango police sought tips about possible bike theft rings when they issued a news release last month. No tips have come in.
“One thing that leads us to believe that it may be related to some crime ring is that a lot of these bikes are high-end bikes, and often times bikes that are stolen are traded locally, traded for drugs or small amounts of money, or used for transportation,” Thomson said.
The bikes are defaced, spray painted, and parts are swapped out so that the owners don’t recognize them. If they are found, they usually wash up locally.
“But a lot of these high-end bikes, we’re not recovering those local,” Thomson said. “There’s an $11,000 Santa Cruz carbon E-bike stolen (Sept. 27) out of someone’s garage. We have not recovered that bike. And we’ve had several other Santa Cruz bikes that we just haven’t found. Usually, usually, we come across them.”
Police estimate the value of bikes stolen since Jan. 1 to be $111,684.
Online speculation about thieves in a box truck making the rounds throughout Southwest Colorado does not ring true to Thomson.
“If we had five high-end bikes that were stolen in a night or something then maybe I would suspect that somebody from out of state or out of the area was coming in and rounding up the bikes,” he said.
In Durango, it’s been more like one expensive bike a week stolen.
“Which leaves me to believe that it’s more somebody that’s local, that’s going shopping on the weekend looking for open garages and bikes that are just left out on bike racks,” Thomson said.
Police have received numerous reports of bikes stolen off racks on the backs of cars. Even bikes that are locked to the racks. Factory locks and simple cable locks are just being cut. Garages left open are another big one. And leaving bikes outside, even if locked, is a big risk.
“Bring it inside your residence or lock it up in the garage,” Thomson advises. “Even a bike rack in an apartment complex is not much of a deterrent.”
Bicycle thefts have been spread across various locations, but areas with more than one theft since Jan. 1 include: Durango Community Recreation Center, Durango Public Library, Santa Rita Park, Durango High School, Rocket Point Apartments, Town Plaza, the SkyRidge neighborhood, and neighborhoods on the west side of town along West Second, West Third and West Fourth avenues.
Thomson urges people to register their bikes with the Durango Police Department. He acknowledges there are several private registries, like Project 529 and Bike Index, but local police have their own databases that feed into the National Crime Information Center, where law enforcement agencies across the country share information.
“It helps us a lot to be able to track down the owners of these bikes with our local databases,” he said. “It basically gives local law enforcement direct contact with the victims of these cases.”
He also recommends the Durango Stolen Bike Recovery Posse on Facebook for anyone whose bike is stolen.
“We watch that daily and I always encourage people that if they do have their bike stolen to post a photo to that because the more people who see it, the more likely somebody is going to find it,” he said.
To register or report a stolen bike, call the Durango Police Department at 385-2900. People can also visit the main lobby at 990 East Second Ave., or report a stolen bike online at www.durangogov.org/422/Online-Police-Reporting. To report information about bike theft rings, contact Durango Police Sgt. Detective Chris Thomson at 759-3953, or email chris.thomson@durangogov.org.
gjaros@durangoherald.com
