Good for UW, that's something. But I wonder what the
convictions are for, what the penalties are and how many ever get
caught. Is this just treated like minor shoplifting? When you do a
sting with high-end bikes valued at more than the threshold for a
felony conviction, suddenly it becomes big time with substantial
fines and prison and elevated interest by police and the judiciary.
Fine proceeds could go to bike programs and It would even give the
courts the power to order things like community service for the
bicycling community, like cleaning up bike paths/lanes. Sort of a
chain gang concept for bike thieves. Put the GPS on them in the form
of electronic monitors.
At 04:19 PM 1/22/2013, Robbie Webber wrote:
On Tue, Jan 22, 2013 at 2:22 PM, William Hauda
<<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]> wrote:
I would like to see Madison and surrounding communities follow
the lead of other cities in which officers do stings by purposely
leaving high-end bikes (felony-level value) unattended,
maintaining surveillance at the scene and apprehending and
arresting those who try to steal the bikes. In addition to getting
scum off the streets, think of the revenue that might bring in,
some of which might be diverted to bike programs.
UW does that, although not even with high-end bikes. They have
"bait bikes" which have GPS units in the frame. The bikes are
either not locked or locked poorly. When they are moved, the cops
can track down the person who took them.
One interesting feature of the program is that UW students and
employees can get a sticker to put on their bikes that say, "This
might be a bait bike." It's just a reminder that the program exists,
and any bike - with a sticker or not - might be part of the program.
Robbie Webber
Transportation Policy Analyst
State Smart Transportation Initiative
<http://www.ssti.us>www.ssti.us
608-263-9984 (o)
[email protected]
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