Bicycle Theft Prevention

• Keep your bicycle locked at all times, and use a strong lock. SMU Police recommends a case-hardened U-type lock, which is harder to cut or break than chain and cable locks. Use of weak or inexpensive locks will not deter a thief; spend the extra money now for a better lock to avoid replacing your bicycle in the future.
• Lock your bicycle correctly. Be sure to lock the frame and the tires to the bicycle rack, not just one or the other. Often, a thief will take a tire from one improperly-locked bicycle and the frame from another. The thief now has one fully-functional bicycle, and two owners now have only parts remaining to their bicycles.
• Lock your bike in a well-lit area if you use outside storage racks, and an area that can be seen well by passers by.
• Register your bicycle with SMU Police A sticker will be issued to anyone who registers their bicycle. This allows the bicycle to be stored on campus during your tenure here, and also provides easy identification of your bicycle if it is stolen.
• Engrave your bicycle with your drivers license number If your bicycle is found anywhere in the United States, your drivers license number is a recognizable identifier that a police department would be able to use to try to get the bicycle back to you.
• Record your bicycle's make, model and serial number and store this information in a safe place - with the serial numbers of other valuable items you own, for example. In case it is stolen, you will have this information available, increasing the chance of getting your bicycle back if it is located.