• 1970: Eugene City Council creates the Eugene Bike Committee. To this day the committee meets a few times a month to discuss bike related issues in the Eugene area.
  • 1984: The National Bike Registry (NBR) is founded, creating a national network of police departments and registered bikes. Although police retrieve 48% of stolen bikes, only 5% are returned to their rightful owner because many aren’t registered. The goal of the NBR is to change that.
  • June 2006: Kryptonite, a popular manufacturer of the U-Lock, releases its annual list of “Top 10 Worst Cities For Bike Theft.” Eugene is ranked sixth and has by far the lowest population of all cities included in the list.
  • February 2010: Eugene Police Department (EPD) announces they will begin taking reports for certain crimes online, including bike theft. The 24-hour window following a theft is very crucial and this change allowed for victims to report possible crimes much faster than in person.
  • October 2012: Fleet of bicycles used by Safe Routes to School are stolen. Items included 40 bikes, 45 helmets and other bike gear totaling $30,000 in losses, the biggest bike theft in Eugene to date.
  • December 2012: Bicycling.com ranks Eugene as the ninth most friendly bike city in America. The national recognition further justifies the significant bike culture in Eugene.
  • May 2013: EPD reports that bike theft has increased by 64% over three month period from 2012 to 2013. The three-month period they’re referring to is from January to March, which is considered the “offseason” for bike thieves.
  • June 2013: Oregon State Board of Higher Education gives University of Oregon Police Department approval to carry guns. Approval allowed UOPD to increase their jurisdiction in terms of detaining and arresting criminals, which has a huge impact on bike thieves.
  • October 2013: Just 180 miles south of Eugene, the Ashland Police Department employs an anti-theft device for bikes, which alerts the owner and tracks the bike in real time. In the first week of using this device, five men are arrested in separate bike theft incidents.
  • October 2013: Point 2 Point, a department in the Lane Transit District, publishes a regional study recommending an increase in spending on bike racks. The justification is that there needs to be more bike racks in public places, which would discourage thieves from stealing in these areas.