DENVER — Bicyclists in Denver have a new way to register their bikes and protect against theft using a just-introduced program called 529 Garage.
The new bicycle theft program, which replaces Denver’s current 10-year-old registration database, hopes to increase the odds that a stolen bike in Denver is returned to its owner.
City leaders on Monday introduced the 529 Garage program to the public highlighting what Denver’s police chief hopes will be a useful tool to prevent stolen bikes from ending up on the secondary market.
“Not only will we be looking for that bicycle and when we recover that bicycle – be able to track the registration back to the rightful owner,” said Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas.
“There’s other folks on the platform that will be able to be watchful for that bicycle, maybe being sold on the secondary market and can notify us so we can be successful in recovering that bicycle.”
Along with combating Denver’s rise in stolen bikes, city leaders hope the 529 Garage tool will help police find rightful owners when a stolen bike is recovered.
The chief said over 400 recovered stolen bikes in 2022 were not able to be returned to owners partly due to a lack of registration.
Bike thefts, along with vehicle thefts, have been on the rise in Denver over the past few years although in 2022, Denver saw 723 reported stolen bicycles, which is 355 fewer when compared to the 1,078 reported in 2021.
Bicycle owners are encouraged to register their bikes in Project 529 for free on the Denver Police Department’s website noting the bike’s serial number, make, model, color and other descriptive details.
Bicyclists can also directly upload photos of their bike. The city said bike owners can also directly download the 529 Garage app on their mobile phone for more options managing bicycle registrations in Denver.
If a bike owner in Denver previously registered their bicycle in the city’s current system, those registrations should have been migrated into the 529 Garage program and owners should be on the lookout for an email to finalize the updated registration.
While the city has been working to migrate 17,000 bicycle registrations in Denver into the new platform, bike advocates hope the new anti-theft initiative will play a part in encouraging more Coloradans to pick up a bicycle.
“The value of a bike is much more than the price tag or what you pay for a bike. The value of a bike is what it means to you," said Peter Piccolo, Executive Director of Bicycle Colorado.
"I would argue that a $300 bike that somebody uses to get to work everyday or get to school is as valuable as the fancy bike that say ‘I ride on weekends to stay fit,'"
A stolen bike can also be reported using the new 529 Garage platform but the Denver Police Department recommends bike owners to always additionally submit a theft report to police and avoid attempting to secure a stolen bicycle from an alleged thief.
