EUGENE, Ore. -- The Eugene Police Department is using "bait bikes" to help catch bike thieves in the downtown area.

Police arrested 42-year-old Jeremy Lee Linville, who police said has a history of property crime offenses.

Police said he took the bait bike from the bike rack at the library.

Police also arrested 27-year-old James Huston Mattiazzi who police said was with Linville when Linville stole the bike.

22-year-old Cody Anthony Bryan was also arrested after police said he took a bike near Charnelton and West 7th Alley.

"I'm glad they're doing something about it," said Dan Jones, father of a University of Oregon student. "We've had a bunch of bikes stolen and stripped. My daughter goes to the University of Oregon and she locked it up in a cage and they stole the front tire, the fork, the seat, the pedal, so yeah, it's a big problem."

Police said they have been proactively conducting bait bike operations in the downtown area and plan to keep doing it throughout the summer.