From Richmond Police Department’s Sector 413 Lieutenant James Roberts:

During the past 30 days there have been five reported bicycle thefts in the Oregon Hill neighborhood. All of the bicycles appear to have been left unsecured. Two were stolen from porches and three from rear yards or unlocked sheds. If possible, please store your bicycle inside your residence, as this is by far the safest place for it. If you must leave your bicycle outdoors, always use a U-Lock to secure your bicycle to a sturdy fixed object that cannot easily be cut. Sheds and garages can provide a false sense of security and actually provide little defense against a determined thief. In fact, they provide concealment for thieves to operate undetected. If you do store property in your shed or garage, ensure that the structure is secured with sturdy locks and that items such as bicycles are affixed to solid, immovable objects inside the structure. Also, be certain to capture your wheels through the U-Lock or an additional cable lock to prevent them from simply being removed and to make your bicycle a less likely target. As always, please report suspicious activity to police at (804) 646-5100 or call 911 for emergencies.