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Police at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are employing new technology to make progress in the battle against bike larcenies on campus and take a “bike out of crime.”
Though a new initiative, a CatchAThief GPS locator is hidden on a “bait bike” on campus. Officers receive an immediate email or text message if the bike is moved outside a pre-established virtual boundary. Police can then monitor the device online with turn-by-turn directions provided every five seconds through a web-based tracking system.
Manufactured by Cary-based Securus Inc., the matchbox-sized devices were put in use by North Carolina State University police last November. That department reported a 92 percent decrease in bike larcenies over the two months that followed relative to the previous year.
UNC Police hope the technology will not only help catch thieves, but also deter theft to begin with, said Randy Young, spokesperson for the UNC public safety department. The department reported 14 bicycle thefts in August.
“Now, with the students’ return, there are even more bikes on campus,” Young said. “Along with promoting the use of U-shaped bike locks by bike owners, we feel that as word of this GPS technology spreads, it will significantly reduce the number of attempted bike larcenies.”
Originally devised to help track pets, the technology has been expanded to wide-ranging uses such as the ability to track stolen items.
“In terms of numbers, larceny is our most prevalent crime at UNC,” said Chief Jeff McCracken, director of UNC Public Safety. “This new tool will be useful not only in responding to and deterring bicycle thefts, but also, the technology is versatile enough to allow use in stemming thefts of other items, such backpacks or laptop computers.”
Public safety purchased the device for $150 and will pay $30 monthly for its use.
Demonstration for media: UNC Public Safety will demonstrate the technology for the media at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday (Sept. 7) at the Public Safety Building, 285 Manning Drive. The building is beside Morrison Residence Hall, a block west of the road to the Dean E. Smith Center. Photo: Bicycles on the UNC campus: http://uncnews.unc.edu/images/stories/news/campus/2011/bikes%20016.jpg Public Safety contact: Randy Young, (919) 962-1502
News Services contact: LJ Toler, (919) 962-8589 |
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