I had a bike stolen about 10 years ago. It was registered. I even know about where the person who stole it lives, and have a witness.
However, the MPD refuses to investigate bicycle thefts for bicycles worth less than $2,500. I filed a report and the MPD never did anything. I discovered a few other things: The bicycle recovery unit is very, very, very slow to respond to a report of an abandoned bicycle. The bicycle recovery unit does not regularly monitor typical stolen bicycle dumping grounds. The police will not produce a press release of a rash of bike thefts in a neighborhood. (but they will issue a press release when $20 of gasoline is siphoned out of a car, or when a rash of car break-ins occur). Now since 2010, I have noticed the MPD has been involved in a few "sting" operations, so at least they are going after the major operators. So while registering your bicycle improves your odds, the real bottleneck appears to remain the police department. From: Bikies [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of William Hauda Sent: Monday, June 15, 2015 5:39 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Bikies] Stolen bikes Arthur is correct. Keep records with serial numbers listed and take photos of your bikes and other property. In the case of home or rental property insurance, photos are essential in filing claims when there is theft or damage. If you're taking a charitable deduction on your income for a gift of property, along with the receipt, take a photo of the property in case challenged by the IRS. Pretty much common sense. On 6/15/2015 4:30 PM, Ross, Arthur wrote: Wow, Lot's of discussion about bicycle registration on the list last weekend. John, thanks for stepping into the fray. I will add to John's comments a bit. Bill Hauda started this thread by asking how useful it is to have a record of a serial number for identification. I do not work in the Police Department, but my understanding is that without a serial number, or some other positive proof of ownership, it is difficult to have stolen property that is recovered returned to its owner. As a personal anecdote, years ago, when I lived in another city, my wife's flute was stolen from a house we shared with several other people. We reported the flute stolen, but we did not have the serial number recorded. We found the flute at a pawn shop, thanks to a chance discussion with a stranger at a yard sale, just as it was about to be re-sold. We called the Police and met them at the pawn shop. Based on some unique features and problems with the flute, we were able to convince the Police that this was indeed the flute that was stolen from us. If we had been a half hour later the flute would have been sold and no one would have known it was stolen since we did not have the serial number for the police report to check against the pawn shop purchase. The same is true for a bicycle or any other piece of expensive equipment that has a serial number. For things that do not have serial numbers, take pictures, note identifying marks, etc. Having the serial number will not prevent the bicycle from being stolen, as Harald said, but it makes it possible to have it returned when recovered by the police. Jym mentioned the NCIC database. I believe the Madison Police use this database to enter stolen property reports as well as to check for stolen reports when property is recovered. Having a bicycle registration sticker on your bicycle hopefully acts as a bit of a deterrent. If a potential bike thief sees that a bicycle is registered and understands that this means the serial number and bicycle description are on record with the Police, the thief might move on the next available bike to steal that does not have a bicycle registration sticker. This is the thinking behind the UPD's Bait Bike Program, as well. See https://uwpd.wisc.edu/news/uwpds-bait-bike-program-making-a-difference-on-ca mpus/ I have received calls from Police department's in other states when they have recovered a bicycle with a city of Madison bicycle registration sticker. I had a call from San Francisco PD a week or two ago. John Rider provided background information about the City's bicycle registration program. Here is a link to info about the program on the City's website, as well as how to register your bicycle either on-line or via mail. http://www.cityofmadison.com/bikeMadison/programs/registration.cfm Bill and Kurt asked where does the bicycle registration money go. First, bicycle registration is a fee, not a tax. As a fee, by state statutes it cannot generate revenue beyond an amount that covers the costs of the program. It cannot be used to generated funds for things that are outside the scope of the program. Things that would be legitimate expenditures related to bicycle registration include the costs of the program (staff, materials, computer programming and storage, etc.). This could expand to Police efforts for bicycle recovery, storage, and some enforcement activities. Education could be included to an extent, as well. The capital costs of constructing bicycle facilities (paths, grade separations, etc.), or operating costs of maintaining bicycle facilities (paint for bike lane markings, sharrows, signage, etc.) would not be legitimate expenses related to bicycle registration. The reality is that it would be a rare bicycle registration program in the USA that operated in the black, or even broke even. The only ones I can imagine would be a captive situation like a University campus where a bicycle registration requirement could be easily enforced. I remember a similar story to Scott's, but with the reverse situation and outcome. At a Police bicycle auction in the late 1980's or early 1990's, I remember someone finding a bicycle that he believed was his and that he had reported stolen. He did not have the serial number of the bicycle so the Police would not release the bicycle to him. He tried to buy the bicycle at auction but was outbid. The picture I have in my mind is of him sitting on the ground with his back to a wall crying because he could not get his beloved bicycle back. There are many other positive outcome stories of people who had registered their bicycles. A friend of mine had his bicycle stolen as an undergrad in Madison. 20 years later it turned up and was returned to him because the bicycle registration decal was intact. He donated the bike to one of the organizations that sends bikes overseas to needy areas. A kid who was thrilled to get his bike back after it was fished out of a golf course pond. A person who had lent their bicycle to someone who did not return it. Technically this could not be reported as stolen since the person had permission to use it, although not to keep it. When the bike was found abandoned on private property and the property owned turned it over to police, the bike was returned to its owner thanks to the bicycle registration sticker. Etc., etc., etc. A former Bicycle Recovery Specialist in the Police Property Room looked at the data related to the return of recovered bicycles and came up with a statistic that a recovered bicycle that was registered with the city was 8 times more like to be returned to its owner than a bicycle that was not registered. Arthur Ross, Pedestrian-Bicycle Coordinator City of Madison Traffic Engineering Division 215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Suite 100 PO Box 2986 Madison, WI 53701-2986 608/266-6225 From: Bikies [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of India Viola Sent: Monday, June 15, 2015 9:11 AM To: John Rider Cc: Bikies ListServe Subject: Re: [Bikies] Stolen bikes Thanks for all the information, John. -india WeAreAllMechanics.com [email protected] Stay connected- Follow WAAM on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/We.Are.All.Mechanics> "How can we learn from our mistakes if we don't first acknowledge them?" On Mon, Jun 15, 2015 at 9:05 AM, John Rider <[email protected]> wrote: 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] 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] 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]> 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]] On Behalf Of Harald Kliems Sent: Sunday, June 14, 2015 1:26 PM To: William Hauda; 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]> 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] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org _____ <https://www.avast.com/antivirus> Avast logo This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/antivirus> _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
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