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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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Bike Theft Victims Turn to Web Posses

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(Newser) – Bike owners are turning to newer technology to help nail crooks stealing their rides by posting online pleas to lookout posses, reports the Wall Street Journal. Victims use Twitter, Facebook and other sites geared toward bikers to hook into a nation of eyes watching streets and classified ads for stolen bikes. "Harder times mean more thefts," warns the founder of StolenBicycleRegistry.com, where people can list their stolen bikes free.

Some areas are reporting increases in bike thefts as high as 72% this year. "We're trying to empower the eyes of the community to get bikes back," says the founder of BikePortland.org. Bike experts urge owners to use a good lock, and keep a record of a bike's serial number and any photo that can be used to claim a stolen bicycle once it's located.

Hard times are driving up bike thefts.
Hard times are driving up bike thefts.   (©jikatu)
This Brooklyn bike was tracked down through Facebook help after it was stolen earlier this month.
This Brooklyn bike was tracked down through Facebook help after it was stolen earlier this month.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Web eyes are watching out for stolen bikes.
Web eyes are watching out for stolen bikes.   (©kristina sohappy)
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4 comments
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shonangreg
Aug 26, 09 7:49 AM CDT
I've never understood why there haven't been more bike theft stings in America. When I was going to the University of Oregon, there were almost daily bike thefts. Yet there was never any news about arrests being made using valuable bikes left unlocked intentionally to catch thieves. It seems that it would be so easy to do the stings, publicize them, and thereby repress the urge to steal any more bikes. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
Alan_Harrington
Aug 26, 09 7:59 AM CDT
i would assume that such stings arent popular due to the fact that they are expensive to put together and bike thefts are probably not top priority for most police departments. i would hope officers have somthing more important to do.
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hleifester
Aug 26, 09 9:27 AM CDT
alan, what else does a campus cop have to do all day?
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Yourself
Aug 26, 09 10:58 AM CDT
@hleifester - more then running after porrly secured bikes. you'd be surprised if you weren't so narrow minded. With that said, MSNBC did a sting on bike thefts in NYC a few years back with GPS locators in the frame. Was quite the eye opener. What i'm surprised is that the complaint about cost would be futile if the cops would just ask for bike enthusiasts assistance. They'd be shocked to see a lot of people would volunteer to help with such a cause.
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