Bike registration offers
protection to students
 By
Matt Lindner
Staff Writer
Purdue students looking to protect the investment
they made in their bicycles need to look no further than the Purdue
Police Department for a free and easy way to do so.
Through the police department, students can obtain
bike permits free of charge. Ron Fosnaugh, police captain of special
services, said the benefits to obtaining a bike permit are numerous.
"With a bike permit, your bike is fully protected
for five years," said Fosnaugh. "If your bike is lost or stolen, even
if the serial number has been scratched off, since it has been recorded
at the police department we will be able to return it to you immediately."
In addition to helping the police recover a bicycle
if it is lost or stolen, the free bike permits have many other advantages.
If students get into accidents while riding their bikes, the police
can use their permits as a form of identification.
Lance Scott, a sophomore in the School of Technology,
obtained his permit as soon as he arrived on campus for his freshman
year.
"I picked up a bike permit because my bicycle is
worth more than my truck," said Scott, an avid bicycle rider. "I sleep
with my bike in my room, and if it gets stolen or something happens
to it I'd like to have a reasonable chance of getting it back."
So far this year, 42 bicycles have been reported
stolen and 312 lost or abandoned bicycles have been recovered.
Fosnaugh said 977 bicycles have been registered
so far this year and he said he's expecting more to come in the future.
"I don't really see any reason why a student wouldn't
register their bicycle," said Fosnaugh. "It's free, it's easy and it's
a good insurance policy that can protect you in case something happens
to your bicycle."
Students wishing to register their bikes have several
options. They can stop by the Purdue Police Department, located at 205
S. Intramural Drive, to pick up and fill out a registration form.
Students living in the residence halls or graduate
houses can see their counselor to have them fill out the registration
for them. Students can also fill out a registration form online at the
Purdue Police Web site at www.police.purdue.edu and bring the completed
form to the police station.
|
