CMUPD tasked with bike removal at the end of each spring semester
With the majority of students gone for the summer, the Central Michigan University Police Department is in the process of removing abandoned bicycles left on campus. Those that go unclaimed are auctioned off.
Lieutenant Cameron Wassman said the CMUPD sweeps the campus after the spring semester, tagging bicycles left locked on racks and other locations. After a few weeks, the police return to remove the bikes from campus.
"For groundskeeping and general order purposes," Wassman said. "We like to go through at the end of the year and take bikes that aren't claimed."
The bicycles, Wassman said, are held in a fenced-in area near the CMUPD office. Students who registered their bikes are notified. If the bike is not claimed within 90 days, they're given to the University Stores to be auctioned off.
Wassman said the department works with bike owners to figure out the best way for them to retrieve their bikes before the 90 days are up.
Registering bicycles with the CMUPD allows them to contact owners if a bike is left on campus after the spring semester.
"Registering your bicycle is required on campus and it's free," Wassman said. "(Students and faculty) can either come here in person to the police department or (register) it online on our website. That is a good way to prevent the possibility that your bike is going to get confiscated or picked up at the end of the year."
Section 12.02 of CMU's Parking and Traffic Ordinance states, "It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or leave unattended upon the campus any bicycle which has not been licensed by or registered with the Central Michigan University CMU Police Department, or the City of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan."
Wassman said the department works with the University Stores to figure out prices for unclaimed bicycles. The prices vary based on a bike's condition and model. Any bicycle not sold at the auction, he said, is broken down and recycled accordingly.
The auction is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 18. Preregistration begins at 8 a.m. The event is held in Lot 1 at 275 W. Bellows St. It is conducted by an outside company called Sykora Auction Services.
The money raised at the auction goes into a scholarship fund held by the CMUPD for students interested in joining the police force, Wassman said.
Wassman added another reason for students to register their bikes is to combat theft on campus.
"On average, we have anywhere between 30 to 50 bicycle larcenies a year on campus. Most of the time, it's because people don’t lock their bikes," he said.
