Identifying Your Lost or Stolen Bicycle

Unfortunately, bicycles are sometimes lost by young children or stolen. Stolen bicycles are most often used only on a temporary basis and abandoned after a period of time. Each year, the Police Department receives many calls concerning abandoned bicycles or officers find these bicycles while on patrol. The bicycles are taken into the custody of the Police Department for safe keeping and held pending further disposition. In most cases the Police Department does not have a police report on file that has sufficient information to identify the owner of the lost or stolen bicycle. In order to help identify you as the bicycle owner, the department offers free bicycle registration for City of Bowie residents.

How to Register

Registration is quick and easy. It takes just a few minutes to record your name, address, and phone number along with the identifying characteristics of your bicycle. These include the make, model, color, style, and serial number. We will also affix a small registration sticker to the underside of the frame of your bicycle. This sticker has an independent identification number and the name of our department. This is very useful in cases where bicycles are taken outside of the city and are recovered by another police department. With the registration sticker attached, any police department that finds your bicycle will know to contact the Bowie Police Department for ownership information.

By registering all the bicycles in your family, the chance of recovering your lost or stolen bicycle increases significantly. To have your bicycle registered contact the Support Services Division at 940-872-2251 or bring your bicycle by the department at 302 Lindsey Street.

Theft Prevention

Always secure your bicycle with a locking device that attaches the bicycle frame to a stationary object or store your bike inside a locked storage building or garage. When visiting a park make sure to use a bike rack, fence post, or other fixed object. Children frequently don't lock their bike because they are right next to it. The problem is that children then move on to another area of the park and forget to take their bike with them. Do not leave bicycles in your yard unattended. Bicycles left outside are very tempting to children who do not have a bicycle and decide to "borrow" your bicycle.