During the first week of the fall semester, the Temple Police claim they have been aggressively patrolling bike racks around campus since the new prevention initiatives were implemented on Aug. 26.

Last Wednesday, Temple Police stopped two incidents of bike thefts by the use of surveillance cameras around the campus. At 4:31 a.m., one male suspect was observed by camera taking a bike in front of James Beasley School of Law. The suspect rode away with three other accomplices on bikes as the police gave chase, but was later apprehended and the bikes were confiscated for further evidence.

Another incident occurred at 10 p.m., when a female student reported her bike missing from the 1800 block of North Broad Street, on the north side of McGonigal Hall.

Based on video footage, the theft took place about a half hour before the report came in. Police located and apprehended the suspect at the corner of Woodstock Street and Montgomery Avenue, and charged him with theft.

“The quick action of the dispatchers viewing our videos assisted greatly in apprehending bike thieves,” Leone said.

In addition to traditional patrols and video surveillance CSS created a new bike registration program over the Internet. The idea was to make it easier for bike commuters to register their rides, Leone said.

“We encourage our students to visit our website,” Charles J. Leone, the deputy director of Campus Security Safety said via email. “Our department have registered over 150 bikes since Monday.”

Once a student has registered their bicycle, they can take a trip to the main headquarters at the 1100 block of West Montgomery Avenue, across from Sullivan Hall, where an officer will place a registration sticker on the bike and receive a free U-Lock.