With the help of an AirTag tracking device, UC Santa Barbara police located a bicycle stolen from campus and 17 others in a storage facility on upper State Street. Working with Sheriff’s deputies, UC police arrested Jason Kirby, 42, of Goleta at the facility on October 10. According to police, Kirby had been arrested previously for stolen property.
Thousands of bicycles and bicyclists criss-cross the UCSB campus daily. After an undergraduate discovered the bicycle was missing, the undergrad reported the theft to the police and used the tracking device to find it. The storage unit held a second bicycle that had been reported stolen, UCPD stated, as well as drugs, drug paraphernalia, furniture, and burglary tools.
Police advised students to register their bicycle and make a report if it is stolen. “Both greatly increase the chances we can recover them,” said Lt. Matt Bowman.