Longboat Key police encourage people to register their bikes

A string of bicycle thefts has prompted the Longboat Key Police Department to remind residents and people visiting the island about its bicycle registration program.

The free bike registration program began in February 2016 to combat bicycle theft on the island.

Lt. Chris Skinner said the program is free.

“We try to make it as convenient as we can for the owners, and hope they don’t have to use it, but if they do, it’s there for them,” Skinner said.

Skinner said the town has had five thefts since the start of 2021. Police have identified a suspect and Skinner said there is pending charge for one of the cases. He said several other area law enforcement agencies have charges on the same person.

“We hope that that closes the book on this little crime spree, our series of thefts,” Skinner said.

Stealing a bike less than $750 is considered a misdemeanor while it is a felony if the bike’s value surpasses that figure, Skinner said. In October 2019, Florida raised its threshold for felony theft from $300 to $750.

However, Skinner said other charges such as burglary can be applied if a bike is stolen from a garage area.

Without a serial number from registration, it is often times difficult to prove a recovered bike is stolen or return it to its owner without a serial number.

To register a bike, a bicyclist must bring it to the Longboat Key Police Department so an officer can assign it a serial number, get a description of the bike and take down the owner’s contact information. A waterproof sticker is then affixed to the bike.

The information is entered into a nationwide police database in case the bike is ever stolen. Skinner mentioned the importance of the database because stolen bikes are often found in other municipalities.

“If the bike is ever lost or stolen and another agency finds it, it’s going to have that sticker on it, or possibly still have the sticker on it where they’ll realize, ‘Hey, maybe I should call this department and see who this bicycle belongs to,’” Skinner said.

Whenever a bike is recovered, police examine it to see if there is something that identifies the owner. There are other paid subscriptions similar to Longboat Key’s program for bike registrations.

Skinner said 174 people have registered their bikes with the Longboat Key Police Department.

“We’d like to get that number higher,” Skinner said.

Typically, the town has its bike registration at its open house each year. Such an event is not possible in early 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Longboat Key Police Department crime scene analyst Heather Underhill explained the difference between if a bike is stolen or if it’s lost.

"If it’s stolen recovered property, it becomes evidence at that point,” Underhill said. “If we cannot track down the owner, the evidence can be sent to auction or retained for department use.”

Underhill said the department is considering changes to its policies, which would need approval from the Town Commission. She said the town has not sent any bikes to auction in her five years with the town.

“If it’s brought to us as found property, then we have to hold it for 60 days and that’s where the $100 threshold comes into play,” Underhill said.

If the bike is valued at less than $100, the police department advertises it out on a list in its lobby at 5460 Gulf of Mexico Drive for 60 days. If the bike is valued at more than $100, it is advertised twice in the Observer.

“At the end of that point, if it’s not claimed, it can be sent to auction and what happens is when it’s sold at auction, that money goes back into the general fund of the town,” Underhill said.

For more information about the program, stop by the Longboat Key Police Department at 5460 Gulf of Mexico Drive or call 941-316-1201.