Township unveils new bike registration program
By ROBERT LINNEHAN
The Cherry Hill Sun
8/3/2009

Bikes and ATMs were the focal points of the township council meeting last week, as members approved the installation of an ATM at the municipal building and unveiled a new system for residents to retrieve stolen bicycles.

Bicycles are stolen every day in Cherry Hill, according to township representatives, so members of the council and police department unveiled a simple program to increase the odds of a stolen bicycle being returned to its owner.

A digital bike registration form is now set up through the township Web site, where bike owners or parents of bike owners can enter their information along with a unique serial number – much like a car’s vehicle identification number – located under the pedal crank.

Spending a few minutes online registering a bike can save the police department hours of effort, says Community Policing Unit Officer Scott Davis, who currently maintains the department’s stolen bike records.

Mayor Bernie Platt said the simple system would likely go a long way in helping return bicycles to their rightful owners.

“While we have one of the best police departments in the nation, the caseload of stolen bicycles continues to grow and can be a drain on resources,” Platt said. “This database will allow cross-checks of recovered bikes with those in our database. If parents are diligent about registering their family’s bikes and a child’s bike goes missing, our officers will have a lot more success identifying it, returning it, and making that child smile again.”

Currently the township holds bikes for about 60 days and then donates them to charity.

The database can be accessed from police cruisers, and recovered bicycles that have been registered can be instantly found within the system and returned to the owner. Township officials believe the database will aid in the homecoming of many lost bikes.

Residents are urged to visit CherryHillPolice.com to register their household bikes today. The service is completely free.

In other township news:

Members of the township council approved a resolution allowing Cherry Hill to solicit competitive bids for an ATM machine, and following the award of a bid, it could be in place within weeks, township officials said.

“Adding an ATM to our lobby may be a simple change, but it’s one that will make a big difference to the hundreds of people a day who access our services and make payments here at Town Hall,” Platt said. “It’s yet another way we are saving costs through efficiency while assessing constituent needs and improving convenience for taxpayers.”

The installation of an ATM will save Cherry Hill an average of $10,000 a year in fees that the township currently spends to process credit-card payments related to municipal court.

It will also create a new era of convenience at town hall.

Additionally, those detained by the police department will have the option of withdrawing money onsite.

A recent audit-based overhaul of the township’s code enforcement department has resulted in the creation of a “one-stop shop” that handles zoning applications, property-maintenance requests, building permits and other code enforcement services previously split between various offices, township representatives previously reported.