LTC 259-2003 CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. AC) --
To:
From:
Subject:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez (~W~-c~
City Manager
Police Department's Initiatives to Prevent Bicycle Thefts
Date: October 30th, 2003
This Letter to the Commission is to advise the Mayor and City Commission on the Police
Department's efforts in combating the bicycle theft issue on several fronts.
First, the Department has recognized that a bicycle registration campaign is paramount to
the success of any program. Without having proof of ownership, any investigation into the
theft of the bicycle is limited. To this end, a public awareness initiative has been underway
that partners with the five bicycle shops throughout the City as the main distributors for the
bicycle registration form. About 100 registration forms have been issued and another 500
have been ordered.
The Department has also taken a proactive approach to inform the residents of its most
recent efforts. The Police Media Relations Unit has issued a press release dealing with
this crime trend (through the Sun Post 09/25 edition). The article encourages bicycle
owners to register their bicycles at the local bike shops, as well as locations at the Police
Department and the North End Sub-Station. Additionally, the Criminal Investigations Unit
(ClU) has conducted several "bicycle theft details" throughout the City and continues to
monitor the activity. CI U initiatives entail setting up decoy bicycles throughout the City that
are surveilled for theft and subsequent arrests made. This effort has yielded the arrest of a
career criminal.
The Department is also preparing to distribute free Kryptonite Locks during the Citizen's
Against Crime National Night scheduled for December of this year. Lastly, the Crime
Prevention Unit will disseminate bicycle theft prevention flyers via the Unit's internet web e-
mail. All Homeowners Associations and Business Crime Watch groups throughout the City
will be contacted in an effort to curtail the incidents of theft.
JMG\ ~AM\RM\J M\H D~)'
F:\POLI\IECHSERWPOLICIES\COM_MEMO\Bicycle Theft Iniatives LTC 03.doc