poster

Hey guys,

I recently had my new bike stolen. I didn't bother reporting it to the police at the time it was stolen. Later I found out that I had purchase protection from Chase credit card, which hopefully will reimburse me from the stolen bike. So I had to file a police report to be eligible.

I went to my local pricinct to report the stolen bike, and I got a lot of crap from the police officer on how I should have reported it on the day of the crime ( day before ).
I politely explained to him how I doubt that the police will waste their resources and time on looking for my stolen bike in a big city such as New York. So there's no reason for me to even waste my time to file the report if it's only going to be filed and nothing will be followed by.

I still doubt that the police would be able to recover my stolen bike, no matter if I report it on the day/time of the crime.

What is your experiance with the police trying to recover your stolen bike? Have it ever been found? Or was it like a droplet in an ocean of bike theft that is just accepted by the police since it's "just a bicycle".

edit:

I would assume that people living in smaller cities are more likely to have their bikes found due to the obvious reason. Is this the case? What about you guys in the big cities?

iheartbenben

Beaumont Police Department revored my 87 Centurion Ironman the same day.

I had the serials and pictures, plus it's a stand-out rare bike.

I would say a vast majority of people are not as lucky as I was, and the police said the same thing. I say the lesson learned would be always report a crime, no matter what?

bluefoxicy

Police, stolen bike. What are they going to do? Molest every kid riding a bike the same color as yours and check its serial number?

Yeah, the cops are going to pass out pictures and/or descriptions of your bike and do a huge sweep of the city looking for it... right. They have better things to do. Also if the cops stopped me because I was riding a Tachyon 3.0 and a Tachyon 3.0 had recently been stolen, I would have them all fired.

I'm also driving a gray Mazda3. Maybe I'll get pulled over next time a gray Mazda3 is stolen.

Stolen property is gone. Why do you think they put Lo Jack in police cars? You'd think the cops wouldn't need fancy **** to find a friggin' police cruiser, huh?

Retro Grouch 

It's been awhile but my stolen bike was recovered.

At the time we had a bunch of kids and not much money so having my bike stolen out of my garage was a major disappointment. One day out of the blue, a detective knocked on my door and asked if I'd had anything stolen. He had visited a trailer investigating a stolen fire extinguisher and found a bunch of bikes laying under the trailer. Having the serial number was a big help. The kids who stole it decided to repaint my bike without disassembling it first but at least I got it back.

bluefoxicy

That's an exception. Stolen fire hydrant or stop signs will get attention; and if your yard looks like



then people are going to get asked if they lost a bike...

Burton

Actually the police in every major city recover hundreds of stolen bikes every year.Unfortunately - because most people don`t report thefts and also don`t record serial numbers - it hard to return property to owners and hard to convict thieves.

Why do you think there are police auctions every year?

Berg417448

If you do not report it being stolen then there is little reason to expect it will ever be recovered.

KZBrian

In 1980 I had my Fuji Grand Tourer locked to the heat register in at the bottom of the stairs in my apartment building's entry.
The downstairs neighbor knocked on my door one evening and told me my bike had been stolen. The coiled cable had been cut.
I called the police, and gave a detailed description of the bike. Within a few hours they had found it in the front yard of a "usual suspect". They arrested the kid. I bought a U lock after that.

poster

This is how I see it as well. I still haven't heard anything back from the cops not that it's a surprise to me.

NewBike_OldLegs

I had two stolen during my years in college. I actually got them both back. The first was recovered two days later. The other was found about a month or so later in a building full of stolen items. In all honesty, I didn't expect to get either of them back. But filing those reports (with the serial numbers) paid off.

NYgreyrider

If you don't report it your chances of getting it back are close to zero. What the police do after you report it will depend on the agency. At the very least they will enter a stolen article entry into the computer. The more info you have the better. Make, model and color are a start but with out the serial number you won't get very far. Once in the system your chances are better than before. Many stolen bikes are ditched after a few days and recovered but since they were never reported they just sit until auction time. With an agency the size of the NYPD you are right they probably won't launch a full blown investigation. Especially if you report it a day late. But at least you'll have the entry. However, outside the really big cities, many agencies might do neighborhood interviews which is why timely reporting is so important. Obviously you don't have a choice of when your stuff will get stolen and when you'll discover it. But you do control how soon after you know it's gone that you report it. You never know. Your neighbors may have seen something that seemed odd at the time but didn't think to much about it. The more time that goes by the less they remember. Yes even in just one day. Or the thief could have gone past a corner gas station with cameras that film on a 24 loop. Cameras are everywhere these days especially in urban areas and a lot of crimes can be solved that way. Another thing to consider is the price of the bike. In many states, such as NY, the larceny statutes are written with a value. The more the items is worth the higher the charge. $1000 bike will get you Grand Larceny 4th an E felony. $3000 will get you grand larceny 3rd a D felony. With many agencies when you start getting into felonies the investigation start getting more attention. Some agency may even require the officer to inform a detective. *So yes report it and report as soon as you can. *Forgive my grammar as I'm typing this on my phone.

AMAlex

I (thankfully) have yet to have a bike stolen from me. My father had an old Fuji that he had in his younger years and it got stolen off his second story balcony. The thieves literally lifted the pole of the balcony and slipped the lock under it. My dad was astonished, he reported it but they never found it.

kitkat

I had my bike stolen about 10 years ago in Berkeley. I called in to report it as soon as I discovered it was gone and the cops had already recovered it.

kam.ip

Firstly, to the OP, my condoleces, I'm very sorry for your loss, I had my bike stolen when I was a kid and it turned me off biking for almost 10 years...

In Toronto, I've heard that simply reporting it is NOT enough.
The police here will recover hundereds of bikes, hold them for a period of time, then put them up for auction; apparently it is only then (right before the auction) that they are checked to see if they are stolen.
The advice I got from the police auction (where I purchased my bike) was to call in once in a while to see if your bike had turned up.

I have also heard that there are 3 types of bike thieves:
1) Convenience: These people will steal a bike they see sitting around just to get from point A - B. It is highly likely your bike is sitting around somewhere in your neighbourhood still!
2) For Aesthetic Value: These people will steal any bike that looks new. Keep an eye on Craigslist and Kijiji; if you find it, go pretending to be a buyer to confirm (via serial number) and call the police if it's yours.
3) For Actual Value: These people will steal bikes they know are of value, they know the brands and come prepared and often are stealing bikes as a part of an organization. Goodluck recovering these; again from the auction house, these people will go as far as shipping and selling these bikes in a different juristiction to avoid the police (apparently a bunch of stolen bikes from Toronto turned up in Montreal).

Rollfast

A 1995 Schwinn Classic Cruiser (the springer for 100th anniv) was torn off my trailer's stairwell, returned a few weeks later because the thief bragged too much and the kids described the bike to the LBS, who knew only two were sold in town (mine and somebody I knew who was deceased by then). They arrested him before it it could be chopped.

And my current '95, Germaine was actually being ridden toward me and I called the rider over. He said he believed me and bought it from another and also stated he was already on a road crew and didn't wan't any more trouble.

I let him return it to the police station ON HIS HONOR and to my surprise he WAS HONORABLE and dumped it behind the station where the next officer to go out found it and it was quickly returned the next day. It was stolen 8 months prior and came back with the seat cover torn up as the only real damage. I had it recovered and have used it since.

I had a yellow 5-speed road type framed bike take when I was in 6th grade and spotted it on the campus of my school. My friends knew it and I simply removed it (they had no chain in it) and rode off, returning with a better chain. I never found out who stole it.

Guitarrick

Know your serial number. Better yet, take a picture of it and keep it in your phone. Register at nationalbikeregistry.com. File a report immediately if it's stolen. If you're renting like I am, always keep a renter's insurance policy. Worst case scenario is I pay that company a $250 deductible to get a check for $950, the cost of my bike minus my deductible. Don't keep your hopes up for the police to "waste their time" on a stolen bike. No matter how small the town you live in, chances are they have more pressing things to tend to.

juliabaker9

People should've put a way to track their back incase it got stole, like a gps tracker, so that they could easily catch the theft.

jefnvk

I would actually notify them that it is my bike, I am taking it back, and it is up to them whether they want to get police involved or not. If they so choose to involved the authorities, I'll be glad to sit there and wait.

It has been mentioned before, but the kicker is generally if it is installed somewhere it is difficult to remove, it is also difficult to keep charged.

thumpism 

Two bikes stolen and one motorcycle. One bike and the motorcycle recovered.

In addition to the police report I also posted bike info in local shops and one of those shops notified me that it was in the store at that moment. I showed up with a lock and cable, locked my bike to a store fixture and had a chat with the suspect. When the cops arrived (summoned by the shop) I could prove ownership by the notice I'd posted in the shop and by the similar sheet in my wallet showing description and serial number.

Recommendation: When you make a police report and give them the serial number, make certain to have them read it back to you. The cop on the phone had transposed a couple of characters and I'm convinced they'd never have notified me when the motorcycle was recovered if I had not caught the mistake. They might have noticed the numbers' similarity but might not have figured "typo."

Juan Foote

I have had several bikes stolen from me. I recovered one of them myself from the "lockup", a big cage full of stolen bikes.

The really silly part about it, and I have discussed this before. At the time, the county I lived in had a sticker system with it's own little number. You would "register" your bike with this system, and supposedly the county could then turn around and contact you if you bike was ever discovered/recovered.

When I went into the stolen bike cage, nearly every bike in there had the sticker. The county didn't have the resources or a person designated to be researching the books upon books of registered participants....no computer system to count on then.

Ballenxj

I need to do this.

mercator

Had a bike stolen in 2013. The other night the phone rings, Constable Bridge has found my bike and would I like it back? He has it at a station on the other side of the city. We were just sitting down for dinner, so I asked him what the procedure is?

Const. Bridge: well, we can file it with the recovery dept., and fill out some forms, they'll call you and you have to fill out a form, or you can pick it up now....
me: I'll be right over

BlazingPedals

Even when the police recover a stolen bike, they don't check their records. They stack the bike in a cage with the others and hope the owner never comes around looking. Then they sell the bikes at auction and the department keeps the money. Bikes are a resource, like getting grant money!

italktocats

chicken or the egg?


i know of ONE person who got a stolen bike back, so nope the odds are not in our favor

oh i do remember when i reported a stolen bike i had to explain that handbuild custom frames dont have serial numbers because theyre not made in a factory, my name engraved in the chrome didnt count as evidence haha

REDMASTA

I had a motorcycle stolen and reported it to police, never saw it again. It's not like they are going to put a manhunt out for your stolen stuff, but if they stumble across it during the commission of another crime you might be lucky and recover it.