> The City Council is in the middle of the process
to repeal the requirement
> to have bikes licensed in Mpls. The
Registration is a voluntary state
> program which Mpls now requires. In a few weeks
it will no longer be
> mandatory in Mpls. The program was established
by the state to help in the
> recovery of stolen or lost bikes.
>
> Dean Zimmermann
> Mpls City Council -- Ward 6
>
Which, considering the low probability of ever
recovering a stolen bike, renders it near-useless.
Bike thievery has become an illicit sub-economy in
the Mpls. area - a garden variety crime. (I've
long wondered if there's any organized element to
it. Anybody know?) Typically cops can't be
bothered with follow-up on a given case because
there's just too many of them. And if the thieves
can't get your bike because the frame has been
locked up, they'll still steal the wheels if you
haven't locked them down as well (and rebuilding a
wheel can be very expensive!) Alot of people don't
even bother reporting a stolen bike anymore - they
know little will come of it. I'd be inclined to
buy a license for my own bike if I knew cops were
going to put some effort in pursuing this sort of
crime, but they don't. In all fairness, I can
understand this. It simply isn't a very high
priority.
Chris Beckwith
Ward 6
_______________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy
Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more:
http://e-democracy.org/mpls
