When a bike is found abandoned in the city, the Battle Ground Police Department recovers and safeguards it while Emily, the department’s Property & Evidence Technician, searches stolen bike reports and bike registrations to find its owner. Emily loves to reunite people with their property, but bikes are often left unclaimed because she is unable to identify its owner. In just the last year, BGPD has recovered and placed about 30 bikes in storage.
Here are some steps you can take to protect your bike:
- Register your bike. BGPD recommends owners register their bike with Bike Index, a free bike registration and recovery tool that connects BGPD and a network of law enforcement agencies with bicycle owners to aid in reuniting bikes with their owners.
- If your bike has been stolen, BGPD wants to know! Report it by calling 3-1-1 or by using our online reporting portal.
In Battle Ground, unclaimed bikes are eventually removed from storage and donated to a non-profit organization that distributes bikes to kids who would not have one otherwise. If you think your bike might be in storage with the BGPD, please contact us.