Students who use bicycles to get across campus may want to register them with University Police.

That way it is easier for police to find stolen or missing bicycles.

Sgt. John Kreutziger of UP suggested all students register their bicycles.

“Everything is registered to the city, but we have in our office information cards and bicycle stickers,” Kreutziger said.

There is no cost for registration. To register bicycles, students should visit the NIU public safety building with their bike and fill out an information card. The police check that the student’s information matches their bicycle, and a sticker is placed on the bike for identification. The information card is then filed at the DeKalb Police Department.

Dozens of bikes are abandoned at NIU, and it is almost impossible to find who they belong to, Kreutziger said.

“We have a bike auction every year, and last year had close to 200 abandoned bikes,” he said.

Another problem for police is that bicycles do get stolen. When a bicycle is recovered, police often don’t know where to begin, Kreutziger said. Proper bicycle security helps prevent theft, he said.

Alex Holman, a freshman mechanical engineering major, is one of many students who has a bicycle on campus.

“I have a combo lock but I use a padlock over it,” Holman said.

UP Sgt. Darren Mitchell uses a coil lock on his bike.

“Coil locks are very useful, as well as the U-shaped locks,” Mitchell said. “Those things cannot be cut, and you can loop the coil through the tire as well as the frame.”

Some students have trouble finding a proper place to lock up their bikes. Around DuSable Hall, bicycles are chained to lamp posts and other structures due to a lack of bike racks.

“Parking at DuSable is ridiculous,” Holman said. “The people are rude, they cram their monster bikes into the racks and all the bikes fall on top of yours. I have a small bike, and it’s like trying to shove a mini car in-between two SUVs.”

Freshman psychology major Chris Webb said finding a spot for his bike is annoying because of the number of bicycles in the racks.

LauraLundelius, coordinator of parking services, said there are no plans to add more bike racks on campus.

“A long time ago, like a couple of predecessors before me, our department actually paid for some of the bike racks on campus,” Lundelius said. “I have not been approached about anything for bike racks as long as I’ve been here.”

Although some students complained about the lack of bike racks, they still said having their bicycle is helpful.

“I knew I had a class all the way across campus. I looked at the bus schedule but it was the most confusing thing ever, so I brought my bike,” Holman said.