Winthrop police catch bike thefts with 'bait'
Posted: 01.17.2011 at 10:17 AM

(AP) -- Winthrop University police are catching bicycle thieves by attaching GPS devices to bikes left around campus.

The Herald of Rock Hill reports Monday that the "bike baiting" program has led to five arrests since September.

Winthrop Police Chief Frank Zebedis says police place the "bait" bicycles among students' bikes. Once a thief takes a GPS-equipped bicycle outside a certain range, police start getting signals on its location.

Zebedis says he was surprised that all the suspects caught so far in the program have been adults.

He called it a low-cost success. The materials and monitoring cost less than $1,500.

Besides reducing thefts on campus, he says the program also

helps educate students on how to protect themselves.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)