By Emilie Chacon |Staff Writer|

As the theft of bicycles and laptops increases, CSUSB campus police have established two new programs to solve the problem.

The Cal State San Bernardino University Police Laptop and Electronic Devices Anti-Theft Registration Program (LEDATRP) and the Cal State San Bernardino University Police Bicycle Registration Program (BRP) insist on recording your valuables with campus police, thus reducing the chances of theft while protecting your electronics and your bike.

The programs are still pretty new on campus. “Both programs started up towards the end of the 2011-2012 school year with the intention of being in place for the start of the 2012-2013 school year,” said Officer Erik Sylvestri.

According to National Bike Registration, more than 1.5 million bikes are stolen every year and the majority of the thefts happen on college campuses.

According to a FBI study, a laptop is stolen every 53 seconds and one in 10 individuals will have their laptop stolen.

These statistics are alarming and because almost everyone owns at least one electronic device.

Campus police strongly encourage you to register those items.

After registering the items you want protected, CSUSB will keep all the important information like serial numbers and models in a database so it will be easier to find them in case of a theft. They will then contact you once your personal object is found.

So, if your property gets stolen you will only have to call them and inform campus police that your device is on record.

Registering your possessions may be a good solution to help prevent the robbery, but campus police also provides tips to help prevent them getting stolen in the first place.

The greatest way to avoid theft is to keep an eye on your valuables. Always lock away your electronics properly when you are not around and try to not expose them.

They also suggested taking pictures of your bike, so in case of theft, it will be easier for them to have a good idea of what it looks rather than having an unclear description.

Although the LEDATRP and the BRP appear to be a great ideas, it remains largely unknown by a lot of the students on campus.

Like many students, Colin Wang was not aware of these programs. “Of course I would be interested! But I just learned that such a program exists,” he said. “I think it’s a good idea.”

Officer Sylvestri and his unit, the Traffic Unit, are trying to spread the word via e-mail, Coyote Chronicle and Coyote Radio.

Registration is free, easy, and available on their website at police.csusb.edu, or contact them at trafficsafety@csusb.edu or at (909) 537-5165 for more information.