POLICE INVESTIGATE BICYCLE THEFTS

The Ocean City Police Department is investigating a series of bicycle thefts throughout town. From May 15th through July 28th, 78 bicycles have been reported stolen.

The majority of thefts have been concentrated in the south end of town. 5 have been reported in the Caine Woods area, 7 in the 94th Street area, and 9 in the 120th Street area.

In almost all of these thefts, the bicycles were not properly secured. Many were left in yards, on porches, automobile racks, or in unlocked bike racks.

Police are asking citizens to take the time to lock their bicycles properly. A good bike lock has proven to be a reasonable deterrent. Ocean City residents are able to register their bicycles with the Ocean City Police Department at no cost. They will be issued a sticker to put on their bikes. Information about this program is available on our website, www.ocpdmd.com.

Officers' investigations are often hampered by owners who do not know the serial numbers of their bikes. Officers are not able to enter these stolen bikes into the NCIC (National Crime Information Center) computer without a serial number. This lessens the chance that a recovered bike would be returned to its owner.

Anyone with information regarding these thefts is asked to call the OCPD Criminal Investigation Division at 410-723-6604.

The OCPD would like to remind citizens to contact police if any of their property is stolen. People often feel they don't want to bother the police with minor theft complaints, however, these incidents are important to us, and being aware of them could prove very helpful.