Bike parts fall off on the road.

[stts]

Yup, was watchin a Youtube about Camper life and the front wheel fell off of the bike in the hitch rack. They had a heavy D lock thru the front wheel so the wheel was dangling behind them. They discovered it eventually and had to stop to get new parts that fell off along the way. Hmmm. Good thing I have little plates on my wheels so they don't come off even if the bolts get loose. I use a 5/8 inch cable snaking thru my hitch and bike frame. I'll add the bolt cutter proof chain lock when I go electric. There's another Youtube where somebodies eBike was yanked off the back of their truck after just a quick stop. It wasn't locked up. It had a tracker that they tracked but cops were really worthless. Cops warned the thieves that theft is illegal and then left. Cops told the owner there's nothing they could do. The thieves ran out the back door and dumped the ebike a few miles away. The owner tracked it down and got their damaged eBike back. Thieves bashed the battery trying to shut the tracker power off before wising up and dumping it. I'm learning all kinds of things I got to build into my first eBike.

[Retrorockit]

There is usually some dollar amount where a theft becomes a felony. The police usually don't want to hear that your bike is worth more than that. But Ebikes usually are. The lack of enforcement is why people think bikes are just meant to be stolen. Of course complaining about useless cops causes more problems than it solves.

[stts]

Yea, I got a low opinion of cops. They threw me in jail because they didn't like the color of my house paint. I demanded a public defender and made the whole crocked legal system eat the cost of chasing me down. The feds came down on my city government calling it a "culture of corruption". My house was burnt down back in 2002. I didn't know what the hell was going on. But I was thrown in jail for a traffic warrant while my house was smoking. That gave my insurance company a bad attitude. And I don't have to mention the attitude I copped. From there I was told by the neighbor that I was being investigated for arson. Half my neighbors back then were cops and firemen. Scuttlebutt with the kids went crazy and a bunch of them busted into the ruins and tore up what wasn't burned up. Even the deck in the back was ripped apart and neighbors didn't see squat. Fortunately kids got big mouths and I chased down one braggert and forced him to write a confession and name others. I collared a few more confessions until a furious parent called the cops on me. Then I called my lawyer and everything went crooked crazy as cops all over descended and did the ole cover up routine. Soon it was broken into again as unburnt stuff was stolen. So cops never really got all the kids. So its possible the place was burnt down after all. And it was cops and firemans kids that did it. It was burnt bad so nobody ever did make heads or tails out of anything. Ever since I have gotten many home parking citation of cars parked in the street. Everybody else parks in the street. I quit doing that. I stopped at home with my car trailer to fix a flat with a junk car on it. While out getting the tire replaced, the cops came by and slapped a citation on it. Had to go to court for it to get it dismissed. I had a reciept that I had just taken possesion. It was just never ending harassment. Aint no way I'll call a cop for anything. They will just arrest me for something. Or even shoot me. Cops around here holler something at the same time as they shoot you. So your dead and your kin get the lawsuit money. I don't have any kin, hah. Rural King has wanted pics all over the walls of theives on camera stealing. The checkout lady said making a wall of shame is all they can do because cops don't show up to do anything about it. I'm sure its because they are all out manning traffic traps. Just a seat belt violation is over $300 now. Cops on local news always asking for tips on violent crimes. Cops around here don't really solve crimes. The people do. Hah.

Yup, Trump still seems to be a cops best friend. But I differ with him on that point. I consider cops necessary evils because they are corrupt, but you still have to have them. And jail cops are the worst. They keep the angry bees stired up. Jail around here for anybody "innocent" is a very dangerous place. And I would argue that the atmosphere is not right for the guilty either. The ones released are just more angrier with more hoodlum skills. Like the basterd that assaulted me in Walmart. It aint the first time he pulled a stunt like that and I;m sure he will strike somebody again.

[73Eldo]

I have seen some videos on stolen bikes and that there are quite a few that are 'recovered' but more often than not they just sit at a holding facility because there really isn't any consistent standard to make it easy to track down the owners. That means its very difficult (expensive) so most of the time they sit for a while then are disposed of some way.

[73Eldo]

Right so if it registered in Ft Lauderdale sounds like not that great of a system but then say the bike is 2 counties away or in the next state? Are they going though any effort to figure out who, what, or how to contact someone or something that can put them in contact with the owner? Even if there was a national database of some sort why would they bother especially if an auction that benefits them is the alternative? Someone buys your bike at auction for $100, cops get $3, middle men get $97. You are screwed and the cops are +$3 vs investing time trying to get it back to you.

To bad government couldn't do something like use the licensee fees to directly fund a department dedicated to get recovered bikes back to their owners.

I think one of the stories I saw is Canada was trying to do something on a national level but it wasn't really catching on.

[Retrorockit]

It's a known thing that much of what's stolen in Broward County ends up in Miaimi Dade County. They found whole stores selling stolen lawn maintenance equipment in Miami that was stolen in Broward. They would take whole lawn maintenance trailers full of equipment. The same thing with gasoline and meat. Vans would park over the tanks at gas stations, and through a hole in the floor break open the tank filler necks. Then drop a hose down into the tank and load up with gasoline. There was a gas station that sold only stolen fuel. The latest thing is stealing catalytic converters. Owners of businesses will come in and find them missing form their whole fleet of trucks.Sometimes it's intercoolers from diesel vans for hotrodders, some times it's liftgate hydraulic pumps for lowriders.
When I worked in trucking we had a rash of brand new refrigerator trailers stolen. They were always found in Miami with the new tires stripped off, and the refrigeration units missing. This only started after the Miami district was put in charge of our area. The refrigeratio units were probably already on their way to South America (where the Miami managers were from).

[stts]

"Disposed of some way". Yup, police auctions. I been to a few and they are very popular. Cops really clean up on all the "unclaimed" stuff they make tons of money on. It's a bidding war so I don't do them any more. Trackers is the biggest thing to be invented for people harmed by thieves. Especially since they come back alot. Youtuber WhisleinDiesel got stuff on his property stolen. Cops couldn't do squat. So he got a dozen trackers and planted them in more toys he left out. Sure enough, all his toys were stolen. What a great Youtube. He followed all those trackers to a farm out in the sticks. He spied an old respectable looking guy doing yard work. He called the cops again. The cops showed up and were not enthusiastic. But they were on video so they had to call other cops to figure what to do. After taking a close look at Diesels phone app, they went in with a bunch of cops and raided the place. Diesel got more stuff back than he even realized was missing. Man. I will have a tracker on my bike for sure.

"Vans would park over the tanks at gas stations, and through a hole in the floor break open the tank filler necks". Hah. just wait till I post the pic of my bike on my van. I live lawfully, but you will see that I may have another arrest in my future.

And yup, thieves tore out my catalytics at my home. They also tore out all the catalytics at work. They have stolen my astro van and wrecked it in a high speed chase. And I chased away thieves that busted into the company truck a few months back. Crime around here is endless and they have even stolen steel stock outside that weighed a thousand pounds. Thieves are crafty and they don't stop coming.

[Retrorockit]

I think there is a DIY stolen bike database. Bike shops and others that subscribe to it keep an eye out for stolen bikes.
Here is a page with a few of them. You will notice a lack of police affiliation.

https://search.brave.com/search?q=Stolen+bicycle+datbase

[stts]

Here's what thieves did before Xmas. I work at night by myself for covid reasons and I surprised a crook trying to find something in all that junk to steal. That truck is so packed with trash and junk from everybody using it that I can't find anything like a pump or tire gage. But it cost a window that isn't covered with deductibles.

Here's my old black van stolen from the company parking lot while I was inside working. It was smashed into somebodies garage door to rob their place. Neighbors called the cops and they caught them. But my van was like a nimble cat. It ran thru the yards and around the road block. Then the chase was on between 2 cities at 100 mph. Unfortunately the brakes were worn out and badly in need of replacing. The rotors broke up and they were too fast for the exit and crashed into the woods. The woman was a hooker stoned on crack. The dude was a violent crook that ran into the thorny woods and vanished. Cops did not follow him into the thorns. He was caught by cops in another city acting funny. He put up a fight and cops beat the crap out of him. I went to the trial and said he wrecked my van and ruined my life. Hah. The judge threw the book at him and he spent 12 years in prison. He's now in Florida working at his dads bicycle shop. Bwahahaha. No shit. Shawn Armstrong is who you want to avoid but he may be in a Florida prison by now. Unless he leaned how not to get caught.

[Rodney Bush]

STTS, please do not get me started. I'm the guy who got sent to jail for 5 days for not having my dog on a leash. The happiest, friendliest female black lab the world has ever seen. They put her to sleep while incarcerated and housemates stole my booze and took my job. Oh yeah, the authorities came to my house and carted me off in my boxers in front of the entire suburbian neighborhood. Meanwhile, one of the housemates pit bulls ravaged the neighbors cocker spaniel with no consequences.
. YES, wokeness existed in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the early 80s. I have since learned to "lay low" but not very good at that either.

[Retrorockit]

I guess they forgot to steal your clothes too.Probably too drunk.

[stts]

Yup, I been on anti cop picket lines. Police reform, jail reform, cops all over gotta shoot something. Cops around here just shoot right thru the dogs on city streets. Last year a mental guy took a hostage into a mobile home and killed the cop that busted open the door. Every cop in the city evacuated everybody and lit the whole home into a blaze. Mental and hostage both burnt to a crisp. To this day no local media hasn't dared do anything other than show the cop funeral procession. The public will never know what the hell happened to the hostage. She must not have had any kin to look out for her. It's just bad juju to be around cops when they are looking to bang on somebody. There was a mass shooter downtown a few years back. And 50 cops nearby for security. 4 of them like the wild west were side by side unloading in his direction. They got him and everybody around him. And they have refused to say how many of the mass shooting victims were shot by the cops. And they have refused to say, so many times, that you know some of the cowering dead were shot by the cops. Cops were shooting into a crowded street with people ducking and running in all directions. Swat has some trained tactics, but beat cops are just shooters with immunity. Cops won't even say how many shots the shooter got off before his gun jammed. Only that he had a Chinese AR15 type with twin 50 shot magazines. The shooter didn't even shoot the glass door out as he tried to get into shelter. I am sure his cheap gun jammed and the cops were doing all the shooting. There will be no answers in this city. The Mayor recently forced the police chief out, then went off to loose the Governers race to the guy that sat on the video of cops killing a black dude shopping for a toy gun in a Walmart. The same Walmart where I was assaulted. It occurd to me that blacks would want a white dude gunned down in that store as a symbol. I marched in protests when cops killed that black shopper. And after a year when our now Governer could not hide the Walmart video, it was clear the guy indeed was murdered in cold blood. Crooks are bad news. But cops are even worse. You cant do much when cops start shooting because they all start shooting till somebody riddles you up. And high speed chases are simply insane. They stay on your bumper till your over 100 mph then wreck you out into everybody else. All they need is car ID, plate numbers, and traffic cam footage and they can let the situation deescalate. Cops chased a car right into down town where the crook plowed into all the traffic. A little girl was killed. The guy was found dead of a drug overdose inside the jail waiting for trial. Hard to say if cops poisoned his food. Prisoners don't give away their own drugs smuggled in. They just beat you to death. Before I got out, a "friendly" huge black dude said he wanted my socks. I gave them to him. At first I was puzzled but I had plenty of socks at home. Now I know I gave that guy a pair of schlocks. To be filled with soap bars and other hard things to beat down others with. The jail cops didn't tell me to take my socks off. Yup, the world created by cops and protected by the blue wall of silence is tricky dangerous place.

[Rodney Bush]

they got put out in the street to get rained on. looking back though, the whole incident was kinda comical except for what they did to my poor innocent baby:(

[dirtman]

Wow.. I guess I live a very boring life. Retired 6 years ago and stay away from trouble spots, guns, booze and deadly-drugs. My wife & friends say I got a 1 track mind. (My 3 dirt bikes and everything associated with dirt bikes). So now I know what I see on the TV news might all be true.

[stts]

When I was a kid I used to not care very much because I was busy making my custom car projects. Then my first job was a real handful to live up to expectations. Then starting my own business just continued my total preoccupation. But things in life out of my control eventually slowed me down. Things had been changing for the worse all around me and I was to busy to notice. Especially when it was old friends getting killed and buried while I was stuck in oblivion. Its like life sank me into PTSD. Im not weak mentally or anything like that, but I had this nagging guilt shadow that was following me around. Like I wasn't doing my duty to pay for what I had. So I started looking around alot more and engaging in my environment. That's when I really started learning about the world around me. And all the crap piling up everywhere. When I was in collage with all those Arab students, they were amazed at how ignorant I was of the world. They told me that Americas day of reconning was coming and planes would be flying into buildings. I had absolutely no clue what they were talking about and was shocked that smart people could even say nonsense like that. I was thinking in my head little cessna planes hitting buildings. And how laughable it was to think people would do something as useless as that. Geez. I was really a dumb kid. 9/11 was the worst kept secret in the world. And our leaders were as clueless as I was. I'm not clueless any more. And I now take the time to do my patriotic part. It's the investment I give back to pay for the gift of being born American.