Dean Z. writes: > > 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.
To which Chris B. replies: > Which, considering the low probability of ever > recovering a stolen bike, renders it near-useless. <snip> > 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. To which I write: I don't agree that licensing, even in optional form, is near-useless - from personal experience. Several years ago, a thief broke into the *lobby* of my East Isles fourplex and swiped my bike. It stank, but some months later, I got a call from the Minneapolis police that it had been recovered....from a 14-year-old who had been dealing drugs off of it somewhere else in Minneapolis. The police were able to contact me so quickly after the arrest because of my license, and I am still grateful for their efforts. The Council is moving in the right direction; a license is a quick, efficient way to establish ownership. (It is not so quick and easy to *get* a license, but we've covered that.) The police should not be able to impound your bike merely for not having a license - it should be seen as an optional aid to recovering your bike in an emergency. The only question I have is whether the police would have been able to hold my stolen bike if the must-have requirement is repealed. In other words, if the council action passes, will the cops legally be able to hold a bike used in the commission of a crime, even if not having a license is no longer in itself a crime or probable cause to impound? David Brauer King Field _______________________________________ 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
