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My bike was stolen (2017)

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31–40 of 121 posts

Re: My bike was stolen (2017)

#32

I had the same bike stolen twice and was able to find it on Facebook marketplace both times. The key is to file a police report and make sure you have the serial number of the bike. Without these, the police will not help. Once you find your bike, message the person, negotiate, set-up a meet up, and then get the police involved. Although we caught the guys selling the stolen bikes red-handed, the police couldn’t do a…

Convenient how the police just skipped right over how receiving stolen property is a crime.

It was a different person selling the bike both times. I think the police got their info, but if they didn't have a history of stealing, they let them go. If they are caught again, I hope the police charge them.

Re: My bike was stolen (2017)

#33

I had the same bike stolen twice and was able to find it on Facebook marketplace both times. The key is to file a police report and make sure you have the serial number of the bike. Without these, the police will not help. Once you find your bike, message the person, negotiate, set-up a meet up, and then get the police involved. Although we caught the guys selling the stolen bikes red-handed, the police couldn’t do a…

Convenient how the police just skipped right over how receiving stolen property is a crime.

It's not so easy -- you have to prove that they know (or should have known) it was stolen, which isn't easy.

People like to blame the cops for everything, but the prosecutors are where the current breakdown in law and order is happening.

Re: My bike was stolen (2017)

#34

I could not even imagine the police getting off their butts to do anything about a stolen bike, much less going along with a regular person's investigation. Great work, I wish more police were willing to actually do things when members of the public take the initiative

Yeah this is an amazing story. The only bike theft I've ever heard of where the police actually did something.

It does reconfirm just how little they care about bike theft though - literally all they had to do was email the thief and he would come to them! But no even that is too much work.

Re: My bike was stolen (2017)

#35
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So the police didn't do any detective work, didn't help with the sting operation, and they didn't punish the thief. It seems like it'd be more fruitful to get a few of your friends and solve the problem yourself. It's not like the thief is going to go to the cops.

One of the hallmarks of a justice system is the presence of a neutral judge and a defense attorney. Mob violence is most certainly not just.

I agree with you. The legal system's job is to substitute for vigilantes. In this case the legal system doesn't provide certain services adequately, so the incentives favor vigilantism.

Re: My bike was stolen (2017)

#36

I had the same bike stolen twice and was able to find it on Facebook marketplace both times. The key is to file a police report and make sure you have the serial number of the bike. Without these, the police will not help. Once you find your bike, message the person, negotiate, set-up a meet up, and then get the police involved. Although we caught the guys selling the stolen bikes red-handed, the police couldn’t do a…

Convenient how the police just skipped right over how receiving stolen property is a crime.

where i am they let small things slide, for a while, then they switch from intell mode to enforcement, and do a crime suppression sweep, that goes right up to the persons that "govern" that economy.

Re: My bike was stolen (2017)

#38
A long time ago I had a bicycle stolen. I had registered the bike with the city as "required" had filled out a police report with license number and serial number. Found the bike locked up in town on a Friday night. Flagged down a police officer and told him about the bicycle theft, police report and had a copy of the paperwork with all the relevant info. Cops reply: I can't get a locksmith out until Monday. Went home and got a wire cutter as the bike had a flimsy lock and stole it right back. Even if you do all the work for them, cops are useless for bicycles...

Re: My bike was stolen (2017)

#39

A long time ago I had a bicycle stolen. I had registered the bike with the city as "required" had filled out a police report with license number and serial number. Found the bike locked up in town on a Friday night. Flagged down a police officer and told him about the bicycle theft, police report and had a copy of the paperwork with all the relevant info. Cops reply: I can't get a locksmith out until Monday. Went hom…

> Even if you do all the work for them, cops are useless for bicycles...

It's not just bicycles.

Re: My bike was stolen (2017)

#40

I wish bike manufacturers would start including GPS devices into the frames of high-end bikes. The devices would need some access to insert SIMs and charge them and then it should act as a deterrent.

My Van Moof bike has this, they even offer an additional service where they go and get the bike back for you
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