Kettering Police Department offers residents a free program to help recover lost and stolen bikes

Kettering, Ohio – The Kettering Police Department is offering a program for residents to register their bikes. The Department says that bike registrations will help the department return lost and stolen bikes to their rightful owners.

Residents can pick up bike registration forms at the Kettering Police Department, 3600 Shroyer Rd. The forms can be obtained at the records section window Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 4 P.M.

Once you fill the form out, Kettering police will keep one copy and give you one copy for your records. You will also be given a numbered sticker to put on your bike. The Kettering Police Department will also enter the information from your bike registration form into their computer system The sticker and bike registration information will help police identify the bike if it is lost or stolen.

The Kettering Police Department Bicycle Registration form will ask for:

1. The date that the form is being completed.
2. Your name
3. Your contact information including address, phone number, and email address.
4. Bike make, model, and style.
5. Bike size.
6. Bike speed.
7. Bike colors.
8. Bike serial number.

The form also has a “Remarks” section that appears to allow bike owners to provide other identifying details that could help police identify the bike if it is lost or stolen.

Registering your bike could make the difference of ever seeing a lost or stolen bike again. The United States Department of Justice reports that one of the biggest problems in returning lost or stolen bikes is the inability of victims to provide proper evidence of the bike’s ownership. They also say that the inability of victims to prove bike ownership also often leads to suspects being released without charges. Sometimes the suspect even gets the stolen bike back on release because there is no way to prove that the bike isn’t theirs.

The Department of Justice says that widespread successful bicycle registration programs not only improve owners’ odds of recovering lost or stolen bikes, but the programs may also deter bike thieves from stealing bikes because the bikes are harder to sell or dispose of.

Kettering’s bike registration program is free to residents. Residents who have questions about the program can contact Kettering Police Officer Gudgell at 937-296-2585.