In response to a letter written to the Metro Red Line Team by a citizen regarding bikes and bike patrol, the below was forwarded and is being disseminated for community awareness.
“Thank you for taking the time to write to Metro's Red Line Team. The Metro Transit Police Department patrols each station as well as the bike racks. Unfortunately, the entire National Capitol Region has experienced an increase in bike thefts. These thefts may be contributed to the high cost of fuel or the large number of bike couriers in this region.
There are several things our customers can do to make their bike less vulnerable to being stolen. First of all, the proper locking of your bike in a WMATA bike rack is critical. The WMATA bike racks are tough to combat as long as the customer properly uses the rack and uses a high quality cable lock. The MTPD has provided free locks on numerous occasions to our customers, as well as handouts to prevent bike theft and handouts on how to register your bike with a local bike club in the event it is stolen.
I am pleased to report that the MTPD has made several arrests in the last three months in and around our Virginia metro stations for bike theft. Additionally, we have made arrests at the West Hyattsville station. However, the MTPD does not have any cameras deployed to specifically monitor our bike racks. We rely on our uniform patrol tactics, the use of plain clothes officers, the local police, our WMATA employees and our customers to be our additional eyes and ears to combat crime on or around metro facilities.
Furthermore, we take all crimes that occur onto or against our metro facilities and customers very serious. The MTPD is well aware what the replacement cost potential is relatively high for a bike or bike accessories and how customers are impacted by these types of crimes.
The MTPD has deployed and will continue to deploy plain clothes officers at stations where bike thefts are more prevalent. We also query various data bases that include pawn shops, looking for stolen merchandise. We monitor our crime statistics on a daily basis and make deployment decisions based on our reported crime. We will have officers pay special attention to the Takoma station. There have been 18 bikes reported stolen from the Takoma station from January 1, 2007 through October 31, 2008. Please call the MTPD directly at any time if you see someone suspicious hanging around the bike rack at 202.962.2121 and a police officer will be dispatched to the area.
Finally, we ask that you take a photograph of your bike and of the serial number. This will help us tremendously to identify your bike if it is stolen. Please contact my team directly when you have questions or concerns related to the Red Line. To speak to a Red Line Customer Service Representative for Comments, Complaints or Suggestions, please call 301.562.4605 weekdays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. You can leave a message at all other times or complete the comment form located on our website at www.wmata.com.
If you ever need to speak with a Customer Information Agent for assistance with general questions, please call 202.637.7000; 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Web site is also a valuable resource for customers to find out more details about trip planning, bus and rail fares, service disruptions and other information.”
Posted by Plevy at November 10, 2008 03:07 PM