Onalaska trying new methods this year to battle bicycle thieves

A couple new methods this year will help the Onalaska Police Dept. tackle a pretty good-sized bicycle theft issue in the city.

First, dumping the mostly symbolic $2 registration fee. If anything, police chief Jeff Trotnic said, the fee has deterred people from registering their bikes.

It’s registration that is key to tracking stolen bikes.

It also gives people the opportunity to put on file with the police department the serial numbers of the bicycles,” Trotnic said, “because often times they don’t have them.”

Police also plan to roll out a bait bike in the spring to help snare thieves. And Trotnic doesn’t mind that you know.

“It should be known that the police departments use mechanisms to not only deter that from happening but it will also help us catch people that are up to no good,” he said.

The bait bike will be fitted with GPS for easy tracking.