Tempe partners with web firm to return stolen bikes to their owners

Police recover thousands of stolen bikes across the country each year, but most of them never make it back to their owners. Tempe wants to improve the odds, so it has partnered with a free national bike registry called Bike Guard.

“They mail you three stickers, very permanent sticky stickers you stick on your bike.” said Tempe Crime Prevention Officer Nathan Ryberg, “and you scan that, and it comes up with your information.”

The three stickers have a very strong adhesive designed to “bond permanently to your bike,” according to Bike Guard’s website.

Ryberg said Tempe was the first law enforcement agency to partner with Bike Guard last year. Since that time, other Valley law enforcement agencies are taking part. He said police and private individuals who find stolen bikes can access the service to find the owner – sometimes before the owner knows it’s missing.

The service could be particularly useful in a university town like Tempe, where college students depend on their bikes and often live elsewhere. Ryberg says the company has set up a special secure area to make it easier for law enforcement agencies to share information on stolen and recovered bikes.

Bike Guard is a free service from a company called My Asset Tag. You can sign up at their website.