Riding a bicycle to MUSC in the morning doesn't guarantee the bike will be there to ride home in the afternoon.

Department of Public Safety officers report that an increasing number of MUSC commuters have had their two-wheelers stolen in broad daylight, their locks cut right out of the bike racks.

“There is one case where a review of surveillance tape revealed a suspect using a hacksaw to cut through a lock,” said Cpl. Mike Anderson. “The whole process took about 18 minutes. During that time period, three people walked by and looked at the suspect, but did not contact Public Safety. One person even unlocked his own bicycle from the same rack and again did not contact Public Safety.”

Although MUSC's Department of Public Safety covers the campus with uniformed officers on bicycle and on foot, they can't be everywhere at once. Anderson is asking for the help of MUSC students and employees to be eyes and ears for the department in meeting its main objective: protecting students, employees and patients from crimes such as theft.

Anyone seeing persons or activities that they think are suspicious should call 792-4196. “Public Safety dispatchers will ask for a description of the suspects, and if they left the area, how long ago and in which direction.” Anderson said that the dispatcher will relay the information to officers on duty and they will respond accordingly.

Besides reporting suspicious activities, what can a bicycle owner do to keep from being a victim of theft? Public Safety has some advice:

• Secure the bicycle to a fixed object such as a bicycle rack. Immobilizing them by locking a wheel to the frame is not sufficient. Public Safety officers pick up bicycles that are not locked. Owners can retrieve them upon verification of ownership.
• Invest in a quality lock. The U-bolt style lock is recommended because it presents more of a challenge and thieves are inclined to move to an easier lock.
• Register your bicycle. Registration is the law, but it also provides investigators a better chance of locating the bicycle if it is stolen. A registration sticker makes a thief think twice about stealing a bicycle. If he is caught riding a bicycle with a sticker and the bike has been reported stolen, he knows he will go to jail.

Bicycle owners can register their bicycles with the Department of Public Safety at 101 Doughty St. for a fee of one dollar.