The Elmhurst Police Department will be offering free registration of bicycles for Elmhurst District 205 middle school students on three different dates over the next few weeks. Police officers will be present before school at each District 205 middle school to help students register their bicycles with the City of Elmhurst. They will also provide materials regarding Illinois Rules of the Road for Bicycles. Officers will be on site at:

• Churchville Middle School on Tuesday, April 26 – 7:45 to 8:15 AM (rain date April 27)
• Bryan Middle School on Tuesday, May 3 – 7:45 to 8:15 AM (rain date May 4)
• Sandburg Middle School on Wednesday, May 11 – 7:30 to 9:00 AM (rain date May 13)

Blank forms will be available for pick-up by students who do not ride to school that day, and registration forms are always available at the Elmhurst Police Department.

Every year about 1.5 million bicycles are stolen across the U.S. The majority of these thefts occur when bicycles are left unlocked and unsecured; be it at local store’s bike rack or, left unattended in a residential yard. Over the last 3 years, Elmhurst has averaged 32 bicycle thefts per year. And, while this number continues to decrease, your police department reminds you that the best way to prevent bicycle theft is to use locks or put bicycles away when not being used. As part of the registration event, bicycle locks will be given away as participation premiums to three lucky on-site registration participants, per school.

The Elmhurst Police Department would also like you to know that only 3 percent of the recovered bicycles, nationwide, are returned to their owner. The main reason is lack of information/proof of ownership. Bicycle registration helps the Elmhurst Police Department to return bicycles to their rightful owners.

Since implementing the middle school bicycle registration event, the Elmhurst Police Department has been able to return bicycles that would otherwise go unclaimed. EPD, in cooperation with District 205, would like to continue to make a major dent in the number of bicycle thefts reported per year with a strong education and registration campaign and that includes this 2016 event.