Bait Bikes and Project 529 Expand to Richmond

The Richmond News reports on a new wrinkle to deter bike thieves-the City of Richmond RCMP have “bait bikes” and they are using technology to thwart would be thieves and counter bike thefts.  “Specially equipped bikes provide police with real-time monitoring capabilities and greatly assist officers in coordinating a safe recovery of the bike and apprehension of the offender. There is nothing that would identify a bait bike to a thief and for all intents and purposes, they look identical to a non-bait bike.”
As part of  Project 529, a national bike registry, cyclists are encouraged to register their bikes through a simple smart phone app, or at any Community Policing Office so that the serial numbers are recorded should a bike be stolen.  The actual bait bike program has already been running through the Vancouver Police Department and the  North Vancouver RCMP .  Bait bikes are equipped with hidden GPS trackers that activate once a lock is broken and the bike is in motion. While in Metro Vancouver bait  bike thieves can be pursued by officers on bikes, in Washington County Oregon they use squad cars to track them down. Here’s a news clip on the Washington County Sheriff’s Office approach, complete with the bait bike sound alert received by the Sheriff’s deputies.