At a press conference at 12:45 p.m. at Veterans Plaza in Ocean Beach on Tuesday, April 24, District 2 Councilmember Lorie Zapf will be joined by San Diego Police Department’s Western Division, will kick-off a bait bike program for the Peninsula.
Just in time for summer, the second bait-bike program has been funded out of District 2 funds. 
Bait bikes have a GPS device and, when stolen, police can track the theft happening in real time and apprehend the criminal. 
Last year, Zapf was successful in helping to add $3,000 for an additional GPS-outfitted bike from the city’s budget to be used to interdict bike theft, a growing problem along San Diego’s beachfront.
Unlike most bike thefts, stealing a SDPD Bait Bike will be a felony under state law, given the bikes are worth more than $950, the felony threshold. 
After launching a similar program in Northern Division in June of last year, SDPD has made 18 felony arrest for bike theft.
“Zapf has secured funds to reignite the program for GPS monitoring,” said police spokesman Lt. Brent Williams, adding bait bikes are now operating in SDPD Northern and Western divisions. “The Crime Suppression Team at each division will continue to work the program placing the bikes in strategic locations where bike thefts are high, or driven by community complaints, throughout the two divisions.
“SDPD Northern Division has a 100 percent conviction rate in court with a few cases pending,” said Williams. “Western is experiencing the same high number of successful arrests and convictions.”