Last month, Tyler Freiberg left his moped unattended in the Hale Mahana apartment parking garage for just a little too long.
For the second time in a month, Freiberg’s vehicle was stolen, said the 20-year-old University of Hawaii at Mānoa student.
“I was very frustrated and mad,” Freiberg said.
Freiberg’s experience is far too common. The Department of Public Safety has reported several moped thefts throughout the semester.
Often students secure their mopeds by locking the chain around the vehicle with a thin chain or cable. Sgt. Bryne Nagata of the UH Department of Public Safety recommends that students chain their mopeds to an immobile object such as a tall pole, bike rack or tree.
“Secure your investments,” Nagata said.
DPS officials advised students to use a heavy, thick chain and wrap it through the rear tire.
“If it’s not a very thick chain, they have bolt cutters that will cut them,” said Chief Andrew Black, UH Department of Public Safety. “Thieves look for vulnerabilities and…vehicles that aren’t secured.”
The convenient transportation and the relatively low cost of mopeds make them an easy target. They aren’t that heavy, it could take two people to lift one of them, especially during longer school breaks, like summer and winter.
“Most kids that do go home, they’ll leave it in one place,” Nagata said. “And then when you come back from break, your moped is missing.”
The first time Freiberg’s moped was stolen, the perpetrators removed parts. Days later, it was stolen again and later found on the side of the road. The Honolulu Police Department recovered it, requested a safety check and then called to get the moped towed away to a local repair shop.
In response to the increase of thefts and overall security advancements, DPS will be installing more cameras throughout campus. They regularly collaborate with other law enforcement agencies. Further, their dispatch center developments should be completed by December, where they plan to have a better integrated security system.
“By next spring, we’ll have the bike patrol back out there,” Black said.
Bike patrols have different beats, carrying radios and first-aid kits. If something happens they’re typically more efficient to respond, parking isn’t much of a concern either.
Download the guardian app and take advantage of the security escort services. For more information check out their website.