Bicycle thefts on Southern Methodist University’s campus have decreased by 56% in the past three years due to more public outreach and patrols, according to the SMU Police Department.

It’s a stark difference to only a few years ago, when theft was on the rise.

Kathy Crow Commons, Ware Residential Commons, Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports and Armstrong Residential commons all had the highest quantity of bicycle thefts over the past three years with an average of 8 bicycle thefts each, according to the SMU PD crime log.

One previous SMU student, Sumay Patel, had his bicycle stolen his freshman year at Crum commons, which is situated by Kathy Crow Commons and Ware Residential Commons, after he locked it with a cable lock.

“I went inside and when I came out, it was gone,” Patel said. “I wish I had known about the bike registration.”

These thefts also occurred frequently at the residential commons located along Bush Avenue due to thieves clipping the simple locks and then heading straight to Mockingbird Station, said Courtney Morrison, the supervisor of community engagement for the SMU Police Department.

“So it’s right along Bush Avenue, right? Right where that lacrosse field and everything is. If you can just think like a thief you’re creepin to Kathy Crow, Lloyd, wherever you are, find a bike that’s secured with a little cable lock. Clip, get on it, and go straight across Mockingbird to the DART station,” she said. “That’s typically where we find most of the bicycle thieves still.”

However, the number of bicycle thefts on SMU campus, including both electric and non-electric bikes, have decreased from an average of 50 thefts starting in August of 2021 through summer of 2023 to 22 thefts in 2024.

This decrease in bicycle thefts is attributed to the increase in patrols around campus and outreach to students through handing out locks and providing information on bike registration, said Morrison.

“I’m telling you, getting the word out about bicycle locks and stuff like that, I walked around to each of the dorms at the start of the semester in January and I handed out bicycle locks,” Morrison said, “I handed out these little bicycle registration cards and had them at the little front desk.”

SMU Police Department’s bike registration form was established in an effort to reduce bicycle theft and return bicycles if found. SMU PD also gives information on how to prevent bicycles from being stolen by showing the do’s and don’ts of how to lock a bicycle properly. This can be found on their Bicycle Registration and Safety page.