Editor’s note: the following information has been released by the City of Fort Atkinson.
The City of Fort Atkinson Police Department is looking to reduce bike thefts in the city and it’s easy to do by simply registering your bike. For only $5 bike licenses are good for the life of the bike with that owner.
In recent years Fort Atkinson police have seen a decrease in bike licenses sold and an increase in bikes being stolen or going missing. Police also recover a number of bikes each year that are unregistered and never returned to the owner.
When a bicycle is reported stolen, police rely on the serial number to recover the bike. With a recorded serial number the bike can be entered into a database which will allow for it to be recovered by police anywhere in the US.
“Registered bicycles act as a deterrent to theft. Thieves are less likely to steal a registered bike because the owner can be easily identified,” said Fort Atkinson Police Chief Adrian Bump. “Registering your bike greatly increases the likelihood it will be returned if recovered.”
Having a registered bike gives the officers one more resource to recover stolen or lost bicycles quickly. Unregistered bicycles have a very limited chance of ever being found, recovered or returned to the rightful owner, police say. Each year officers recover bicycles that cannot be traced to the owner. These bicycles are eventually sold or recycled, never to be returned to the original owner.
Bicycle registration can also be used in an emergency situation to identify a bike owner or rider.
“Often times bike riders do not carry identification. This is especially true for children who rarely have identification. The registration on a bike will help emergency responders quickly identify the rider and even a parent,” Bump said.
To register a bicycle, e-bike or e-scooter owned by a resident of the city of Fort Atkinson for $5 per unit contact the Fort Atkinson Police Department at 920-563-7777 or stop in during regular business hours.
File photo/Chris Spangler
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