By Blake Haas

CLINTON – Clinton Police encourage residents to document bicycle serial numbers after the department located several suspected stolen bicycles.

According to a social media post, the department said most suspected stolen BMX-style bicycles had been altered by paint and different parts.

“Only one positively identified and confirmed stolen due to being provided a serial number at the time of the original theft report,” the department said in a social media post. “We can’t stress enough the importance of documenting your serial number should you become an unfortunate victim of a bicycle theft.”

The department is seeing an uptick in bicycle theft; however, cross-referencing the bikes with what has been reported stolen is difficult for investigators.

One way to prevent theft, according to the department, is to log the serial numbers of the bike and to put it under lock and key.

The recent recovery of the suspected stolen bicycles is pending further investigation.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].