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BART Using Predictive Policing To Nab Bike Thieves As Thefts Spike 21 Percent Systemwide

OAKLAND (KCBS) – Bay Area Rapid Transit police are using some sophisticated sleuthing and technology to try to prevent bike thefts at its train stations.

With so many more people riding their bikes to BART now, transit agency officials said there has been a 21 percent spike in bike thefts from stations, and up 300 percent at the hardest-hit stations.

So BART's crime analyst has been figuring out the pattern of the thefts from the times and locations of the crimes along with surveillance video, .

"He would guess-timate when the next crime would occur, and then we would put our undercovers in place, and they would be there waiting," said BART police Officer Hani Amdoun.

He said the predictive policing is paying as every time they try it, they catch one to three thieves in the act.

"We also do sting operations, bait bikes, where we put these luxurious, expensive bikes in certain stations where it's a problem and wait for the suspects to attack," Amdoun said.

Officials said the techniques they are using can also be applied to catching thieves who break into cars at BART parking lots.

Bike East Bay and BART have also announced a partnership to prevent bike thefts. Through the summer of 2015, representatives from Bike East Bay will be at BART stations throughout the system during the evening commute to share bicycle security tips and hand out free theft prevention materials.

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