Is your bicycle safe from thieves in Bloomington? Maybe not. Here are some tips.

At least 44 bicycles have disappeared from porches, bike racks, entryways, the Indiana University campus and other locations around Bloomington since Aug. 1.

Some of the pilfered bikes were electric or high-end mountain-riding models valued at thousands of dollars each. Bike thieves keep an eye out for them, since they carry a high resale value.

A review of Bloomington Police Department reports from Aug. 1 through Sept. 18 shows 31 reports of bikes swiped from residences or off the street. In two incidents, two bicycles were stolen.

And two brand new bicycles, not included in the 44, were taken Sept. 4 from a Target display and rolled out the door; police recovered one of them.

Eleven more bicycles have been reported stolen from IU's Bloomington campus since Aug. 1, according to IU Police Department spokeswoman Hannah Skibba.

She advises always using a U-lock instead of cable or chain locks when securing a bicycle. That doesn't always work, though. Several recent thefts involved the taking of parts of a bike while leaving the locked portion behind.

On Aug. 3, a bicycle frame and rear wheel were taken; the thief left behind the front wheel locked to a bike rack. A month later, just the front wheel of a bicycle in a parking garage disappeared.

The best way to keep your bicycle from getting stolen: Park it inside whenever possible. Keep an eye on it. And if you live on Hillside Drive or South Walnut Street, where a number of thefts have been reported, it might be wise to hide your bike.

Students aren't the only targets

Bicycle thefts in Bloomington increase in the fall after IU students return to town and bring their two-wheeled transportation along.

But college students aren't the only victims. The list of BPD bike thefts since Aug. 1 shows that half of the complainants are 30 or older; several are in their 50s and 60s.

Some days there were multiple thefts, but police say they aren't aware of a bike theft ring. Five bikes were reported stolen to BPD Aug. 29, and there were several days with three bike theft reports in the city.

Bloomington's 31 recent bike theft reports

• Sept. 13, 2400 block of South Henderson Street, a 37-year-old man reports someone he knows took his bicycle. Police were seeking an arrest warrant to charge the suspect with theft.

• Sept. 11, 1600 block of East Hillside Drive, a 35-year-old man reports someone entered the unlocked hallway at his apartment complex and stole his electric bicycle, which was locked outside his apartment.

• Sept. 11, 1300 block of North Maple Street, a 33-year-old man reports his bicycle was stolen from the rack outside his apartment; he didn't say if it was locked.

• Sept. 11, 500 block of North Morton Street, a 21-year-old woman reports someone cut two locks off her bicycle and stole it from outside her apartment.

• Sept. 6, 500 block of East Hillside Drive, a 30-year-old man reports someone stole his bicycle and lock from outside his residence.

• Sept. 6, 1700 block of North College Avenue, a 21-year-old man reports someone stole his bicycle and lock.

• Sept. 6, 300 block of East 10th Street, a 22-year-old man reports an unknown individual stole a bicycle from his open garage.

• Sept. 5, 400 block of North College Avenue, an 18-year-old man reports someone stole his silver Trek bicycle from a building at his residence.

• Sept. 5, 400 block of North College Avenue, a 19-year-old man reports someone stole the front tire off his bicycle, which was in the parking garage at his apartment complex.

• Sept. 4, 600 block of East Hillside Drive, a 46-year-old woman reports someone cut the lock off her bicycle and stole it from outside her residence.

• Sept. 2, 1200 block of West Allen Street, a 62-year-old man reports an unknown person stole a black Intense mountain bicycle and a red Trek bicycle after cutting the locks off a bike rack attached to his vehicle.

• Aug. 31, 400 block of North Morton Street, Showers City Hall, a 58-year-old city council member reports an unknown individual cut a bike lock and stole his tricycle.

• Aug. 28, 1600 block of East Hillside Drive, a 24-year-old woman reports an unknown person stole her purple Giant brand bicycle from her residence.

• Aug. 29, 300 block of East Kirkwood Avenue, a 69-year-old man reports that a purple/blue Canyon bicycle was stole from outside a business.

• Aug. 29, 2600 block of South Rogers Street, a 37-year-old man reports an unknown individual stole his electric bicycle from the open-air carport at his residence.

• Aug. 29, 1600 block of South High Street, a 21-year-old man reports an unknown person stole his Centurion bicycle from a building at his residence.

• Aug. 29, 300 block of West First Street, a 26-year-old woman reports the theft of a bicycle from outside her residence.

• Aug. 29, 2000 block of North Walnut Street, a 19-year-old man reports the theft of his bicycle and lock from the rack outside his residence.

• Aug. 22, 1100 block of South Walnut Street, a 30-year-old woman reports a unknown suspect stole her unsecured bicycle when she was shopping at a convenience store.

• Aug. 20, 1100 block of West Countryside Lane, a 48-year-old man reports two unknown juveniles stole two bicycles off his porch.

• Aug. 17, 300 block of South Walnut Street, a 23-year-old man reports someone stole his bicycle from inside the parking garge at his apartment complex.

• Aug. 15, 1200 block of North Woodburn Avenue, a 21-year-old reports someone stole his bicycle and lock from outside his apartment building.

• Aug. 15, 600 block of South Walnut Street, a 20-year-old woman reports her bicycle was stolen from outside the Shalom Center.

• Aug. 14, 400 block of East Sixth Street, a 58-year-old man reports his bicycle was stolen by an unknown person outside the Runcible Spoon.

• Aug. 14, 500 block of Amaryllis Drive, a 24-year-old reports someone stole their bicycle from outside their residence.

• Aug. 11, 600 block of south Walnut Street, a 37-year-old man reports someone stole his unlocked bicycle from outside the Shalom Center.

• Aug. 11, 900 block of West Graham Drive, a 33-year-old woman reports a bicycle and lock were stolen off the porch at her residence.

• Aug. 11, 1600 block of South Walnut Street, a 48-year-old woman reports the theft of her unsecured bicycle from Switchyard Park.

• Aug. 5, 400 block of south Henderson Street, a 22-year-old woman reports someone stole her bicycle from outside her residence by dismantling it from the tire that was secured to a bike rack.

• Aug. 3: 3200 block East 10th Street, Fountain Park Apartments, a 25-year-old man reports someone stole the frame and rear wheel of his bicycle and left the front wheel locked to the bike rack outside his residence.

• Aug. 2, 600 block of North Walnut Street, a 26-year-old woman reports someone stole her secured bicycle after removing the seat.

Take precautions by securing bikes

IUPD offers tips for bicycle owners:

• Record the make, model, and serial number of your bicycle and store it in a safe place.

• Save receipts involving the purchase of your bicycle and equipment.

• Students should check with IUPD to inquire about registering their bicycle.

• Lock your bicycle on a rack in a well-lit area. Two locks is a good idea.

• Report suspicious individuals hanging around bicycle racks by notifying IUPD.

• If your bicycle is stolen, report it immediately. The sooner police are aware of the theft, the greater the chances of recovering the bike.

• If someone tries to take your bicycle, let them. Notify police as soon after the incident as possible with a description of the thief and the bike.

Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Can you keep your bike safe amid rash of thefts in Bloomington?