Campus Bike Theft: Keeping Student Bikes and E-Scooters Where They Were Parked

On campus, the bike rack outside the lecture hall can be one of the busiest spots between classes.

What one university saw in October

In a November 3, 2025 safety notice, the University of Utah Department of Public Safety said its police department saw an increase in October 2025 in unregistered and poorly locked bikes being stolen from racks, buildings and other common spaces. The department said it responded with more patrols by campus safety officers and police, safety education, and partnerships across campus.

The advice to students was practical. Register your bike for free through Commuter Services. Use a U-lock instead of a cable lock, and lock the frame and at least one wheel to a solid rack in a well-lit, busy area. Students who register can pick up a free U-lock from the Department of Public Safety. Don't leave a bike out for long stretches, and bring it inside when leaving campus. The notice also asked anyone who sees someone tampering with a lock or lingering around bike racks to report it.

Why racks are hard to cover

Bike racks sit outside residence halls, libraries and classroom buildings, spread across the whole campus. A patrol can only be at one rack at a time, and a cable lock can be cut quickly. A student may find out only when they come back and the bike is gone.

Questions to ask about your own racks

• Placement: are the busiest racks in well-lit, high-traffic spots, or tucked behind buildings?
• Storage: is there indoor or secure bike parking near residence halls, and do students know it exists?
• Registration: how do students register a bike or e-scooter, and is it part of move-in?
• Reporting: who do students tell when they see someone working on a lock, and how fast does that reach an officer?
• Follow-up: when a bike is reported stolen, can your team quickly find when and where it happened?

Where VOLT fits

VOLT is built to run on the cameras you already have.

Your team chooses the areas and hours that matter. When someone is at a rack or in an area during hours your team has set, VOLT can flag it as a possible theft, possible vandalism or a person detected after hours. Every notification is human verified. The officer on patrol then gets the camera view and the location. The same cameras cover the serious moment too: VOLT detects handguns, long guns, and knives that are visible to the camera.

That way the rack outside the lecture hall stays what it should be: a place students can leave a bike and find it after class. To see how this works on your campus, you can request a demo.