Students worried about bike theft on campus have ways to combat it.

NIU Police Sgt. Alan Smith said he encourages students to register their bikes with the police department.

Smith said there were five bikes stolen within the first two weeks of school.

“What they do is they come in and fill out a card with information on their bike, then we get them a red sticker and they place that sticker on their bike,” he said.

NIU Police will then send the information over to the City of DeKalb, so the bike will be registered in both places, Smith said.

Using a strong lock will also deter most would-be thieves from attempting to steal a bike, Smith said.

“We encourage people to use good locks with their bikes, ones that aren’t easily broken, and be diligent with where they park their bikes,” Smith said.

Kristen Gaskey, sophomore trombone performance major, said she locks up her bike, but is still worried about parts being stolen.

“I lock it up, but I think I need to get multiple locks to protect all parts of my bike so that my seat or wheels don’t get stolen,” Gaskey said.

Freshman photography major Ben Yamamoto said he isn’t worried about his bike being stolen because he locks it up in a bike rack.