Chico >> Frustrated by what he calls a worsening bicycle theft problem in the city of Chico, William Caput decided to take action.

For about four hours on Saturday, Caput and several others planted a “bait bike” at several locations in the city, including outside grocery stores and in the downtown area, watching through binoculars and waiting for a thief to cut the bike’s inexpensive lock and ride away.

No one bit. But if someone had, Caput said this is what would have happened.

Caput would get in a nearby car, radio a mobile team comprising two bicyclists and start to follow the suspect from a safe distance. Someone would be filming the scene from the car, and police would be called.

“Hopefully they (would) respond in a timely manner,” said Caput, a 38-year-old father who works on network security at Build.com.

The civilian bait bike operation, which has been discouraged by the Chico Police Department, is the latest manifestation of the frustration some feel toward what they see as a growing bike theft problem in the city.

Caput’s operation was initially advertised on the Facebook group Chico Stolen Bike, which comprises more than 1,000 members who discuss and post pictures of suspected bike thieves, photos of their own stolen bikes or found bikes.

The group encourages forwarding information to police and discourages the promotion of “vigilante actions,” according to one of the group’s administrators.

Caput said he was amazed to see the number of suspected bike thefts occurring in broad daylight when he joined the group about two months ago. And then news broke in June that a “ghost bike” honoring the memory of Kristina Chesterman was stolen from the corner of Nord Avenue and First Street, where the 21-year-old Chico State University nursing student was killed by a drunken driver in 2013.

“That was kind of a tipping point for me,” Caput said. “I found that very offensive and just completely wrong.”

Caput lamented what he saw as inaction on the Facebook group, as well as from the Police Department and City Council.

“You can either lead, follow or get out of the way,” he said. “Cliche, but … someone needs to take the lead on it.”

Police response

The idea of a civilian bait bike operation hasn’t been welcomed by law enforcement. Chico police Lt. Rob Merrifield said while he appreciates the energy spent on the issue, the department’s position is that it’s a “very bad idea.”

Merrifield said people could get hurt or be placed in a position to take on a civil liability. He added that officers may not be able to immediately respond to a call regarding a bike theft in progress, as it may be a lower priority compared to a separate crime.

He did say, however, that bike thefts have been a growing problem over the last year.

From January to the end of May, 168 bike thefts were reported to the Police Department, according to numbers provided to this newspaper by police. During the same period in 2014, 149 thefts were reported.

Merrifield would neither confirm nor deny if the Police Department is operating its own bait bike program, but he did say he believes arresting a few people for bike thefts wouldn’t solve the problem.

“I think where we make the most impact is prevention and education,” he said, adding that making the public aware of the problem, identifying ways to prevent bikes from being stolen and helping return bikes to their owners is key.

To that end, acquiring a bicycle license through the city’s Finance Department or even having a bike’s serial number handy can help officers return the roughly 50 bikes the Police Department takes in per month, Merrifield said. Further, if bikes aren’t reported stolen, officers can’t prove the suspected stolen bikes they come across in the field have actually been stolen.

Caput said when he initially floated the idea of a civilian bait bike operation on the Chico Stolen Bike Facebook group, it was met with support as well as criticism. But he intends to bolster the operation with the hope of deterring bike thefts within the city.

Caput added that it’s no one’s intention to approach a suspected bike thief in the act, but doing nothing is “not an excuse.”

“We already live in a society where if an accident happens, people pull out their phones and film it instead of helping the victim,” Caput said, adding, “And if the police want that type of community, these police need to move and work in a different community.”

Contact reporter Andre Byik at 896-7760.