Larry,
The PPR does check all bikes they recover through all the official databases. I'm pretty sure that they have paid to be a member of the National Bike Registry which is one of the biggest "private" databases out there so they can check it too. There are three or four other databases that people have set up with new phone apps, but there is a question of reliability of data with those since anybody can enter good or bad data into them. Good question as to whether or not the Property Room could legally share any data with people outside their clearance level. The Madison Bicycle Registration Program was reviewed by city administration for possible changes a few years back, but there was no decision made. I did a lot of research on what other communities have done with registration, different funding and renewal schedules, but it became a complicated and somewhat (internal) political issue and it never got out of the committee system. I left the Bicycle Registration Coordinator position a year ago April, and the position was vacant most of last summer. The new Bicycle Registration Coordinator is doing a great job, but she has had to do a lot of catch-up after a summer with almost no contact with bike dealers about the registration process. I have my opinions on what could or should be done with bicycle registration, but since I have left that job I will leave it to others to figure it out. Thanks, John Rider From: Larry D Nelson [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, June 15, 2015 7:11 AM To: 'John Rider'; [email protected] Subject: RE: [Bikies] Stolen bikes John, I wonder if there is an opportunity here. Would it be helpful if the Supervisor of the Police Property Room could be approached to determine if the staff could check the data bases that have been mentioned in this thread as a part of their intake procedure? Or enlist assistance from volunteers? Obviously, the best system would be to replicate the vehicle registration system of the WIDOT but it is necessary to secure the information regarding the owner and the serial number. But Bikies are not known for wanting to part with their dollar or have their bikes registered. And police administrators are often focused on what they determine to be the problem. Regardless, I think that this problem can be fixed if the right people get in the same room, share information, and propose alternatives. From: Bikies [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of John Rider Sent: Sunday, June 14, 2015 9:16 PM To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Bikies] Stolen bikes According to State Statutes, the fees collected can only go toward the cost of maintaining the program. Those costs include the part time registration coordinator, materials, any publicity costs, Safety Education (potentially if better compliance brought in more funds), etc. I believe that the program has been close to breaking even for most years, but not sure since I did not know all of the behind the scenes overhead costs, etc. As for impact on lost or stolen bicycles, the former Bicycle Recovery person for the Police Property Room has said many times that she was thrilled any time a bike with a registration sticker was recovered. Because if it was registered, they got it back to its owner. If it wasn't registered, there was little chance they could find the owner. FYI: I was the Bicycle Registration Coordinator from late 2004 until Spring 2014. John Rider From: Bikies [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of William Hauda Sent: Sunday, June 14, 2015 5:55 PM To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Bikies] Stolen bikes Kurt: From, what I've been told it just pays for salaries for city employees, but has no direct impact on lost or stolen bikes. People in the know on this list can feel free to correct me if if I am misinformed. Bill On 6/14/2015 4:42 PM, kurt bermuda wrote: Exactly where does that money go? On Sunday, June 14, 2015, John Rider <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: Just a reminder that if you live in Madison, you are legally required to register your bicycle with the City. And, every bicycle dealer in the City is required to register every bicycle that they sell to a Madison resident. The cost is $10.00 for 4 years, but every bike ever registered is still in that database. Not a well-known ordinance, almost no money for publicity, not a high priority for the Police or the City Attorney's Office, but the ordinance is there none the less. Many bikes have been returned to their owners by the Police Property Room because they were registered. So if you bought a bicycle from a bike shop in Madison and they didn't offer to register your bike, the shop was in violation of city ordinance, and they did you a disservice. They could have charged you the $10.00, easily gotten all of the required info from you at the time of sale, and your serial number and contact information would now be in an easily searchable bicycle registration database. Just thought you would want to know, John Rider (Former City of Madison Bicycle Registration Coordinator) From: Bikies [mailto:[email protected] <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','[email protected]');> ] On Behalf Of Harald Kliems Sent: Sunday, June 14, 2015 1:26 PM To: William Hauda; bikies-danenet.org <http://bikies-danenet.org> Subject: Re: [Bikies] Stolen bikes There have recently been a couple of cases in Madison where a stolen bike was recovered from pawn shops, at least partly based on the recorded serial number. And then of course there were the 600 recovered bikes where the DA had to drop the case against the alleged thieves/fences because it was impossibly to prove that the bikes had indeed been stolen. Recorded serial numbers certainly would've helped with that http://www.wkow.com/story/29172015/2015/05/27/exclusive-police-seize-600-sus pected-stolen-bikes-but-da-drops-case So no, a recorded serial number won't prevent your bike from being stolen nor from being sold on Craigslist or at a yard sale. But if the bike _is_ recovered, it'll provide you with an easy way to identify the bike and prove ownership. Btw, the Bike Fed has partnered with BikeIndex to facilitate the registration of your bikes in an online database: http://wisconsinbikefed.org/2015/03/18/bike-theft-ring-busted-and-we-launch- stolen-bike-registry/ Harald. On Sun, Jun 14, 2015 at 4:11 AM William Hauda <[email protected] <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','[email protected]');> > wrote: This bike theft and the urging by Madison PD to keep a record of serial numbers for identification again begs the question of how useful that actually is. There is no national database of bicycle serial numbers like there is of VINs for motor vehicles, so how can knowing the serial number of a stolen bike even be helpful? http://www.channel3000.com/news/2700-bike-stolen-from-garage-in-madison-neig hborhood/33549346 _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','[email protected]');> http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org _____ <https://www.avast.com/antivirus> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/antivirus>
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