The use of bait cars is common in law enforcement but University of Texas police are now using bait bikes to help catch bicycle thieves that plague the campus area. In 2009, 569 incidents of theft were reported on campus and a quarter of those were stolen bicycles with a total value of nearly $25,000.

Over the years police have urged students to use multiple locks, register their bikes and even offer free pizza for tips leading to the arrest of a thief. However bicycle theft remains prevalent and police are now using bait bikes to help catch thieves. The bikes use a GPS device that pages officers and sends out location information to help them track the location. Last week officers caught a known thief who stole a bike from a rack on 27th and was later caught just north of downtown.

Police aren’t offering any additional details but hopefully the program is able to generate results. Theft of personal items like bikes and laptops are common on college campuses throughout the country as thieves prey on students who may not realize the risks around them.

Here is a list of the most common stolen items on college campuses:

- Bicycles
- Cash
- Cell phones
- Credit and debit cards
- Gaming systems
- iPods / personal music players
- Jewelry
- Laptops, netbooks
- Documents and other materials that could be used for identity theft
- Textbooks
- TVs