National Bike Registry

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The National Bike Registry is an American national bicycle registration database that helps identify and return stolen bikes and scooters to their rightful owners. Working with law enforcement since 1984,[1] the NBR is the only nationwide bicycle and scooter registration service in the United States and has become synonymous with a lost and found for bicycles. A bike registered with NBR can be identified by police and returned to its owner instead of being sold at an auction. The National Bike Registry is an official licensee of the National Crime Prevention Council, with a portion of registration fees going to support NCPC's McGruff the Crime Dog crime prevention programs.

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[edit] Purpose

The National Bike Registry estimates that over one million bicycles are stolen each year in the United States.[2] About half of those stolen bikes are recovered by police, but less than five percent are returned to their rightful owners because police often have no way to identify the owner.[3] Most stolen bikes end up sold at auctions. In contrast, every time a police officer recovers a bicycle that has been entered in a database, it can be identified and returned to the owner.

The National Bike Registry is successful because it is national in scope, whereas registering a bike with a local police department is only effective if it is the police in that town that recover the stolen bike. With nationwide services like NBR, regardless where a bike is recovered, police can get it back to its owner.

The National Bike Registry is also a theft deterrent as ID labels reduce opportunistic theft, make it harder to resell marked property and greatly aid in identifying owners of recovered stolen bikes.

[edit] How it works

Bicycle and scooter owners record the serial number and description of their bicycle, along with owner contact information, in the National Bike Registry secure database, and tag that bike with a special tamper-proof ID security label to indicate that it is registered. Registration is available online at the NBR website, or by mail or phone. NBR uses the bike's serial number and/or the label identification number and description of the bike to match recovered bikes to their owners. If the bike is lost, the finder may call a toll-free number or access the National Bike Registry website to trigger a notification to the owner so that he or she can retrieve the property.

The owner's privacy is protected. Registered bikes can be returned quickly and confidentially. Owners are not required to put their name, Driver's License, Social Security Number or other personal information on the bike to identify it to NBR.

The National Bike Registry also provides proof of ownership. Owners can use their registration record to substantiate ownership to police departments, insurance and warranty companies in case bikes are stolen or damaged.

[edit] Labels

The National Bike Registry has developed extremely durable, tamper-proof labels, yet they can be removed by determined criminals. It does require, however, time and special tools to remove them. Destruction of the label itself may be crime in many states. If attempts at removal are made, the label is designed to shred and leave a trace. This acts as a means of confirming suspicion that the bike was stolen and making the resale more difficult and increasing the thieves' risk of being exposed. Even without its label, a recovered bike can be identified by its serial number or physical description.

[edit] Fees charged

National Bike Registry fees are $10 for 10 years of protection, $25 for a 30-year transferable membership and $25 for a family membership, allowing registration of up to five bikes for 10 years. National Bike Registry labels can be purchased online and at bike retailers nationwide such as R.E.I.

The National Bike Registry also works with bike manufacturers to include bicycle registration with their products. Consumers register their bikes at the manufacturer's website or send in the warranty registration card. A free NBR trial and label come included with products from Giant, Raleigh, Diamondback, Huffy, and Razor scooters.

[edit] Recognition

Through its established nationwide law enforcement network, the National Bike Registry works with police departments coast to coast to identify and return recovered bicycles. The NBR online database is available free to law enforcement through secure 24/7 password-protected access so any bike they find can be cross-referenced to possibly find the owner. Individuals considering buying a used bicycle can also contact NBR at no cost to check if the bike is registered or reported stolen.

Police departments can use the National Bike Registry instead of designing and implementing their own bike registration systems, which may be costly and time-consuming. The NBR also complements existing local bike registration programs. Participating police departments receive free support, bike registration and safety materials, and special discounts to register and protect bicycles in their community.

In 2001,[4] the NBR began the BoomerangIt global lost and found return service, its sister service for all kinds of items. BoomerangIt, together with other similar services such as StuffBak and TrackItBack, represents a new, unique and growing lost and found service industry.

[edit] References

  1. ^ National Bike Registry home page
  2. ^ Bicycle Theft, National Bike Registry
  3. ^ About NBR, National Bike Registry
  4. ^ About Us, BoomerangIt

[edit] External links