PORTLAND, Maine — Portland police are reporting a spike in the number of bikes stolen in the city, stating the department recorded about 100 reports of stolen bikes since June 1—otherwise an average of five bikes stolen each week.
"We just wanted people to be aware of their property and have them save themselves from the hassle of filing a report," Lt. Dan Hondo with Portland police said. "We've definitely seen a large uptick in bike thefts."
Hondo said the uptick should come as a sign for people to keep a better watch on their bikes, as thieves can break through certain locks, and recovering a stolen bike is often difficult.
"A lot of times the identifying marks on a bike are removed by the time we see it," Hondo said.
Hondo added that while bikes are often found at homeless encampments, it's hard to pinpoint who is actually guilty of bike theft.
"Once a bike is stolen, where we find it may not be the same location it was stolen," Hondo said.
Portland residents have voiced concern over the rising bike thefts on websites such as Nextdoor, a community neighborhood app for public notices.
Dana Wilfahrt, who has lived in Portland for eight years, said she is an avid biker.
Wilfahrt added that she never had a bike stolen until last year, and within the past 12 months, she has seen two of her bikes stolen.
"It was taken and my heart sunk, I went running around the city at 11 p.m. looking for it," Wilfahrt said. "I loved it so much and it was really sad to have lost it."
Wilfahrt said the first bike was stolen last fall after she locked it at Congress Square Park. She said the bike was gifted to her by a loved one and it had sentimental value.
She said two months after it was stolen, Portland police recovered it.
"I just remember feeling so elated I got my bike back," Wilfahrt said.
But the second time she lost a bike, in May of this year, she was not so fortunate.
"That one felt weird since it was in our basement, so it was a bit more uncomfortable," Wilfahrt said.
Wilfahrt said someone got into their garage earlier this year and took the bike. It has not been found since.
"Bikes are supposed to make everyone's lives better," Dan Kilgallon said.
Kilgallon is a sales representative for Gorham Bike and Ski off Congress Street in the West End.
"For some people, it's a way to get to work, and for another person to take that experience away from them it hurts, one less person that's not using a bike for the right reasons," Kilgallon said.
Kilgallon added when his shop sells rental bikes in Portland, he makes sure people are aware of the risks of bike theft, asking they use a U-shaped lock instead of a cable lock.
"The material here [corded bike lock] is cuttable, so it's OK as a short-term solution but I would never leave a bike overnight locked with something like this," Kilgallon explained.
Kilgallon also recommended leaving your bike indoors if you can.
The Portland Police Department said while tracking stolen bikes is hard, there are ways to track them down.
The department recommended keeping photos of your bike and writing down the bike's serial number.
If you have a bike stolen, you can report it online to the PPD here.