Berkeley/San Leandro, Calif. – January 10, 2006 – When 35 specially adapted bicycles for children with disabilities were stolen from the Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program (BORP) last month, the National Bike Registry (NBR®), went to work to facilitate the recovery process. NBR, the only nationwide bicycle registration and recovery service of its kind, is used by thousands of police departments across the country to match stolen and recovered bikes with their owners.

After NBR heard about the theft of the bikes – valued at more than $2,000 each – it contacted Rick Spittler, executive director of BORP, to offer its services without charge. Although the NBR service would be most effective if the bikes had been registered before being stolen, NBR entered as much detailed identification information as possible about each bike into its database. That will enable police departments throughout the country to identify the bikes if they are recovered.

National Bike Registry was founded in 1984. It is now part of BoomerangIt, the global lost and found service for all types of property. It has grown to become the only nationwide bicycle and scooter registration service.

Individuals who might come across an adapted bike they suspect was stolen can go to www.nationalbikeregistry.com or call 800-848-BIKE to verify if the bike in question is one of BORP’s bikes. The NBR system will automatically trigger a notification to BORP if there is a match in the database, and NBR will then work with the finder to return the bike to BORP.

Typically, NBR-registered bikes have a tamper-resistant serialized security label attached to the bike. The stolen BORP bikes will lack that label, but still can be identified by matching the serial number and other key characteristics of the bike to the information in NBR’s database when recovered by Police or Good Samaritans.

“NBR’s service will be important in helping recover some, it not all, of the bikes that were stolen,” said Rick Spittler, executive director of BORP. “It is unfortunate that a few thieves tried to destroy a program that has helped so many. While the loss has been frustrating and disappointing, we have been blessed with an outpouring of support from the community.

NBR will also provide registration free of charge for any new bicycles that BORP acquires, making sure that the NBR serialized label is placed prominently on each bike. Often just seeing the NBR label can deter a thief, who knows it will be harder to resell an obviously stolen bike.

“Police have a tough job in recovering stolen bikes and then going out to find the rightful owner,” said Eddie Orton, president of NBR. “This will save local police departments time and effort in reuniting these bikes with BORP, and provide a valuable community service.”

NBR is the official bicycle registration service of the National Crime Prevention Council and McGruff^® ID Armor^® the Crime Dog.

About Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program (BORP)
BORP provides hundreds of people with disabilities in the Bay Area with fitness, sports, and recreation opportunities, and has an amazing record of fostering education and employment in a community that traditionally does poorly in those realms. 100% high school graduation rate in the past 14 years. Over 80% have gone on to universities. Disabilities include visual impairments, spinal cord injury, brain injury, cerebral palsey, spina bifida, amputees, MS. To learn more, visit www.borp.org.

About The National Bike Registry (NBR®)
A division of BoomerangIt, The National Bike Registry is the leader in bicycle registration. We have more than 300,000 bikes and scooters registered in our system. The National Bike Registry works with law enforcement agencies around the country to return stolen bikes and scooters to their rightful owners. NBR bike registration packs can be obtained at participating retailers, police departments, or online at www.nationalbikeregistry.com and www.boomerangit.com.

About BoomerangIt
BoomerangIt (www.boomerangit.com) based in San Leandro, Calif., is a global lost and found return service that works with law enforcement and others to return lost and stolen property to its rightful owners. BoomerangIt provides an easy, inexpensive means to label and identify valuable items. It is also a theft deterrent, as studies indicate thieves are less likely to steal marked property. Founded in 2001, BoomerangIt now has more than one million members and is the official lost and found service of the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), with a portion of sales benefiting the “McGruff^® ID Armor^® the Crime Dog” programs. For more information or to purchase BoomerangIt labels and tags, visit www.boomerangit.com or call 800-2Boomit (800-226-6648).