SKIATOOK, Okla. -- The Skiatook Police Department is purging more than two dozen abandoned and unclaimed bicycles.
“The officers take found property reports of various items and bikes are probably the most common item,” Chief James Dean said.
Dean said officers find the discarded bikes in places like ditches and along old roads.
He added, “A lot of times we get called out and people will actually give them to us and tell us where they found them.”
People also get bikes stolen and just never report it. The number grows so large, the department has to get rid of the bikes two or three times a year.
“Once they’re found and they get brought in, we hold them for 90 days. After the 90 days, if nobody claims them, we try to purge them from our evidence,” Dean said.
That means reaching out to the community to see if anyone lost a bike or had one stolen.
“You have the mountain bikes, some smaller bikes, BMX bikes, a couple of scooters,” Dean said.
Some of the bikes have also been altered or painted, as police believe they were stolen.
The chief is hanging onto them by the end of the year. If no one calls in to claim one with an appropriate description or serial number, the bikes will be donated to a charity organization.
“Some of the bikes are in pretty rough shape. There are still some of them that are in pretty good shape. We’re trying to get them to their rightful owners,” Dean said.
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