Grosse Pointers: Lock Up Your Bicycles, Close Garages, Police Say

It's officially summer and the police reports are flooding in. Bikes, lawn mowers, edgers and other warm weather possessions stolen from the front lawn, the front porch, the sidewalk or often, the open garage. 

Police in the Grosse Pointes are seeing the typical spike in such reports, they say, especially since school is out for the summer because the kids are riding their bikes all over. 

Last week in the Park, four bicycles were reported stolen and there was an attempted theft of a leaf blower from a garage. In the other Pointes, a few bicycles were reported stolen. In the Farms, several residents have reported thefts from their garages of lawn mowers, edgers and other lawn equipment. A Farms resident even reported her bicycle stolen from one of the private clubs last week.

The biggest tip, Park Lt. James Smith said, is for bicyclist to lock their bike up everywhere they go. The second tip, Woods Sgt. Raymond Yonkowski said, is to keep the garage door closed.

There is a misperception by many that because they live in Grosse Pointe, this sort of crime doesn't happen, Yonkowski said. There in lies the problem, he said, explaining it doesn't matter where you are or how long you'll be away from your bicycle or garage.

Many of these types of thefts are what police call crimes of opportunity meaning if the opportunity is present, a thief will take advantage, Yonkowski and Smith said.

With bicycles, sometimes the theft is merely a mode of transportation from here to there, they said, so it'll often be ditched once the person reaches their final destination.

If a garage is open and unattended, a passerby could take advantage by stealing valuables and often those items inside the garage are not secured, Yonkowski said. When he used to work overnights as a patrol officer, he sometimes contacted homeowners when he noticed their garage doors had been left open. Most homeowners were appreciative, he said.

One thing owners can do to help in the event of a bicycle theft is to register the bicycle with the appropriate city, police say. This enables police to find the owner more easily when they recover a bicycle with the use of serial numbers. 

Registration requirements vary Pointe to Pointe, but generally require the make, model, color, wheel size and a basic description in addition to the serial number.

Each of the Pointes offers resgistration: 

• In Grosse Pointe Woods, registration is obtained through the public safety department and costs $1. 
• In Grosse Pointe Farms, registration is obtained through the public safety department with a $2 fee. 
• In Grosse Pointe Shores, registration is obtained through the public safety department with a $5 fee. 
• In the City of Grosse Pointe, registration is obtained through the public safety department. It costs $1. 
• In Grosse Pointe Park, registration is obtained through the public safety department. Registration is free. 

Each of the Pointes keeps recovered bicycles for a certain amount of time but eventually they rid their storage areas of those that go unclaimed. In the Woods, they eventually donate to a charity. In the Farms, the bicycles are auctioned off.