Crime Warning: Electric Bike and Scooter Thefts

• Incident date: October 19, 2021, 3:00 pm
• Incident type: Theft
• Location/address: UW-Madison Campus

In the month of October, the UW-Madison Police Department has taken seven reports of stolen motorized scooters and electric bikes – “E-Bikes” – from various locations around campus.  The UW-Madison Police Department is actively investigating these incidents.  Anyone with information is urged to contact UWPD at (608) 264-2677.

Nothing is failsafe, but here are some crime prevention suggestions everyone should consider:

• • – Always be aware of your surroundings.
  • – Record serial numbers and take photos of your expensive items like bicycles, cameras, laptops, etc.
  • – Many bikes are easily stolen because they are not locked. Your first line of defense is to lock your bike with a good solid lock.  When it comes to locks, AVOID cheap cable locks.  These can be defeated easily and do not deter the thieves. Use a solid “U lock” to keep your bike secure.
  • – Proper locking involves securing your bicycle frame to a solid fixed object; not a tree, wooden fence, or another bicycle.
  • – Always lock your bike, even if you’re going to be gone for a short period of time – It takes just seconds for someone to steal your property.