Increase in Bike Thefts in Area (Miami, Fort Lauderdale: crime, purchase, cabinets)

[HotandHumid]

Having just had my third bicycle stolen in the past three years and also finding out from several people that they've recently had their bikes stolen, I'd advice anyone who has a bicycle in the Fort Lauderdale area to get double locks for it and to keep the bike inside if you can when you are not using it.

The thefts I've had of my bikes has not been something where I'm locking them up in dark alleys but are instead happening in so called, "nice areas." The first bike was stolen in broad daylight off of a tall pole I cable locked my bike to next to Out of the Closet on Wilton Drive. The next theft took place at Target at Coral Ridge at around noon and the most recent theft happened at Barnes and Nobles on Federal Highway where I had it locked around a thick Royal Palm tree as the bike rack there looks like someone could pick it up and throw it in a truck along with whatever bike they wanted.

I also lost the use of another bike as I walked out of work to find the back wheel had been stolen off the bike and the bike repair shop said it would just be cheaper if I bought a new bike at Target as opposed to ordering the back wheel and chain then paying for the labor to have it installed.

I'm advising anyone with a bike in this area that rides a bike to the gym, shopping, etc., to get both a long cable lock and a U-bolt shaped lock. You should then make sure you lock the U-bolt lock to the frame and something that can't be easily cut such as a railing, thick bike rack cemented into the ground, etc. You should then put the cable lock through both of your tires and loop it around that same railing, bike rack, etc.

No not lock your bike on a sign on a metal pole in a parking lot because bike thieves can unscrew the sign on the pole and lift your bike up off the pole. Some of the poles are attached at the bottom with a bolt and screw and the bike thieves can also unscrew the bolt, lift the pole off your locks and off they go with your bike. Also, don't lock your bike around a thin palm tree as the thieves will cut the tree off to get your bike. Some bikes have seats that can be removed so always take the seat with you after you lock up your bike or you could do like I did with my newest bike purchase and have the seat bolted to the bike so it can't be removed when you are not riding it.

My bikes are the cruiser style that you often see in Key West. They are pretty inexpensive and don't have all the gears, hand brakes, etc., that more expensive bikes do so it's not like the bikes are any big reward to the thieves to sell them to pawn shops. Most the bikes I have had stolen lost and the bikes my friends have had stolen are most likely being stolen by those people who drive around in trucks picking up scrap metal such as old metal chairs, cabinets, etc., that people leave out in their front yards for pick-up on bulk trash days as they get cash for the metal parts at recycling centers, although recycling centers now ask for I.D. when you are taking things there for cash.

Bikes are also being stolen by street people here who are addicted to drugs and alcohol who won't go the the agencies and shelters here to get help for their addictions because they don't want to follow the rules of the agencies and shelters that are there to help them. I don't give hand-outs to anyone on the streets anymore because it only encourages these street people to stay on the streets instead of turning to the agencies and shelters set up to help them. I figure if you stop giving them things for money and food that allows them to stay on the street, they'll go to these agencies as a last resort and get back on the right track.

You can report a bike theft to the local police authorities in your community but in Fort Lauderdale, nothing much is going to happen unless the police here pick up someone for selling drugs, vagrancy, stealing from stores, etc., and they confiscate your stolen bike from the person they arrest. It's up to you to keep track of your bike's serial number and if the police end up with your bike by arresting someone who's riding it, it's up to you to keep checking with the police department to see if your bike is there because in most cases, they don't have the manpower to call up people who have had their bike stolen to let the owner of the bike know the bike has been recovered. That's why the police department here periodically has auctions where they sell off confiscated bikes, boats, etc.

There are large barges that traverse the Miami River loaded high with stolen bikes that head off to our Caribbean neighbors and the stolen bikes are sold on the islands. The police in Miami are not going to take the time to board these boats and check serial numbers to see if your bike is there. Everyone knows the bikes on the boats are stolen that are headed for the Caribbean but nothing is going to be done about it without a lot of public pressure as the police say they have bigger fish to fry than spending their time looking for bike thieves.

And finally, if you own a motor scooter, you have the same chance of having it stolen as someone who owns a bike if you don't lock it to something when you are not riding on it because a couple of people in a van or a truck driving by and seeing your motor scooter sitting there can jump out in no time flat and load your motor scooter into a van or into a truck and off they go. Believe me because it happened to me when I owned one when I didn't take the time to lock it to the fence in front of the building where I live like I usually did. I was told by the police that even if the scooter was not taken out of town, it was probably repainted right after the theft and my license plate was taken off and changed.

[harry chickpea]

"There are large barges that traverse the Miami River loaded high with stolen bikes that head off to our Caribbean neighbors and the stolen bikes are sold on the islands. The police in Miami are not going to take the time to board these boats and check serial numbers to see if your bike is there. Everyone knows the bikes on the boats are stolen that are headed for the Caribbean but nothing is going to be done about it without a lot of public pressure as the police say they have bigger fish to fry than spending their time looking for bike thieves."

I remember seeing those old freighters and barges back in the 1980s, and everyone knew exactly what was going on back then as well. I call BS on the police having "bigger fish to fry." Valuing a low of $50 for each stolen bike, a boat with 500 of them is carrying $25,000 worth of goods affecting hundreds of individuals, often children and those with few resources. NOT addressing the problem teaches those kids that crime does pay, and that loss to children is tolerated and accepted as "normal." Is it any wonder those kids grow up with attitudes?

For whatever reason, the bike thieves and shippers have been given a free pass for decades. I don't rule out the possibility of payoffs to officials. It is an obvious and highly offensive Miami stink. Cut that easy money and the problem would be massively reduced. As it is, bike theft is a type of employment.

There are inexpensive tracking devices that are commonly available now. The problem is that if you find the location and go there without a couple officers or Guido the enforcer with you, you put yourself in physical danger.