CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM A recent operation at the UH-Manoa campus targeted thieves who targeted bicycles and mo-peds. UH student Roxanne Koster prepared to go to classes yesterday on her bike.

13 nabbed in UH vehicle thefts

Campus security and police go undercover to apprehend bicycle and mo-ped thieves

Honolulu police and University of Hawaii-Manoa campus security officers arrested 13 people, including students, in an undercover bicycle and mo-ped theft sting this week.

Police used decoy bicycles and mo-peds at various locations on and off campus on Wednesday and Thursday and arrested people who tried to steal them, said acting police Detective Clem Enoka, of the District 7 burglary and theft detail.

Enoka said the anti-theft project, code-named "UH Offensive," was the first time that police and campus security had worked together on an undercover operation.

"Everybody arrested had an extensive criminal history," Enoka said. All have been charged with misdemeanor theft, but the investigation is continuing.

Enoka added that police also recovered other apparently stolen bikes and a motor vehicle in their investigation.

Reports of property crimes on campus have more than tripled from about two to three a month two years ago to eight or nine cases a month this year, said Neal Sakamoto, the new UH-Manoa campus security chief.

Sakamoto said they believe organized bike-theft rings are targeting the UH-Manoa campus, but it is too early to say if anyone arrested was part of a larger group.

As many as 50 police and campus security patrol officers participated in the sting, which operated from about 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at a half-dozen points on campus, including the dorms.

Members of the HPD's Crime Reduction Unit and officers from other districts participated, but no overtime was involved, Enoka said.

Sakamoto said the only cost for the operation was a small amount of overtime for campus security officers.

"Hopefully the criminal element will recognize there is increased security," Sakamoto said, adding that more undercover operations are likely in the future.

UH-Manoa spokesman Jim Manke said the university has a policy of not discriminating against people because of their court record. However, any student found guilty of stealing bicycles could face discipline under the student conduct code, which could lead to sanctions from a warning to suspension or even expulsion from school.

Graduate student Elena Martin, who said her bicycle was stolen from an off-campus apartment a few months ago, is in favor of anything that will help catch thieves.

"It's frustrating," she said. "You can't pay a few hundred bucks every few months (to replace stolen bicycles). Students don't make much money."

But Rachel Corrado, who also bicycles on campus, said she thought police and campus security should increase patrols and be more visible to catch thieves in the act, rather than baiting them with undercover operations.