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The Predatory Bike Thief The Do-It-Yourself Detective — Brooklynian

The Predatory Bike Thief The Do-It-Yourself Detective

reconfigure
reconfigure
edited November -1 in Park Slope
Hi,

I recently had a bike stolen outside of the Prospect Park YMCA on 9th Street between 5th & 6th Avenue. I was in the process of ordering heavy duty locks, but used a cable lock for less than one hour. It was stolen about 8 minutes before I left the building. I managed to obtain video footage of the theft. I posted it to YouTube - http://tr.im/s4kj

I posted a photo to Flickr of the poor security where it was stolen -
http://tinyurl.com/koeheg

Bike theft reports can be posted to BikeWise.org - http://bikewise.org/pub/report/theft/64

The police were not even interested in viewing the footage that I had on a pocket video camera, and they called the situation a "petty theft," and "we don't deal with that." They provided no direction beyond that. Since they were not interested in direct evidence of a crime (video footage), they failed to consider that someone walking around around 11pm with a tool bag carrying cable cutters makes it his business to commit crimes. To me, they disregarded evidence of a predatory thief.

That is not petty. I am having to play do-yourself-detective. I found other problems with the YMCA security that I will be discussing with someone over at the YMCA, and I found another problem with a camera at the C-Town grocery store on the same block. Two out of three cameras on that block do not work. The one that does work is nearly worthless. It is a case of unintentional fraud to display cameras that make people think work, but do not. If crimes occur on that block, and the police do not consider them "petty," you better hope there are plenty of witnesses, because no camera will help your situation.

I have alot of documentation that will make for an interesting story to go to press with, perhaps.

Jason
«1

Comments

  • carnivore
    carnivore
    That is bullshit. Did the police at least take an official report? You would need that anyway for an insurance claim.

    When you encounter police who are behaving unprofessionally, there is recourse:
    http://www.nyc.gov/html/ccrb/
  • drunken revival
    drunken revival
    A case of unintentional fraud??? Exactly what section of the penal code might that be?

    Going to press? It's no secret that more than 70% of surveillance cameras in this city are broken (also, that 55% of all statistics are made up on the spot). The point is they are broken... everyone knows it - end of story.

    It's also no secret that cameras are a deterrent - nothing more. They might prevent a crime, but don't be so naive as to think they are some weapon of punishment or mastery tool of detection.

    It's also no secret that a bike locked with a cable lock will last.....oh, I don't know, an HOUR before it's stolen.

    It isn't the Y's fault your bike was stolen... it's your fault for using a shit lock. I mean, obviously, it's society's fault for sucking to some degree, but shouldn't we be worrying about things we can control - like this size of our locks?

    I realize you're knew to this board, but I wonder if you're new to the city as well. A cop caring about a stolen bike would actually piss me off considering the level of crime around here.... shit, there isn't a block in this hood that doesn't have rooftop thieves trying their hand every summer. There isn't a day that goes by that a junkie doesn't masturbate to a 10 year old girl... or a parent smacks their kid, or a wallet doesn't get lifted off some tired businessman on the F train.... you get the point.

    Sorry about your bike dude. I think we all have bigger fish to fry, and bigger locks to buy.
  • easilyfound
    easilyfound
    shit, there isn't a block in this hood that doesn't have rooftop thieves trying their hand every summer.
    Yep. Make sure any roof hatch in your building is secure. I know from experience.
  • ringrunner
    ringrunner
    That is why I did not buy my bike on Craig's List
  • flaco
    flaco
    " A cop caring about a stolen bike would actually piss me off considering the level of crime around here"

    Congratulations on the dumbest frickin sentence I have read in a long time
  • pitu
    pitu
    You parked on the street - it's not the Y's fault, but the NYPD thing is bullshit.

    I'd call the local councilperson's office and community board, maybe borough prez Markowitz? - the PD needs enforcement pressure. NYPD discourages reporting to keep their crime stats down. FAIL.

    DiBlasio's office
    http://council.nyc.gov/d39/html/members/home.shtml
  • easilyfound
    easilyfound
    What kind of bike lock is best?
  • carnivore
    carnivore
    EasilyFound wrote: What kind of bike lock is best?
    This kind.

    image
  • homeowner
    homeowner
    Sorry about your bike and all, but it really isn't the Y's fault, anymore than it would be their fault if you drove your car there, parked it outside and someone broke into it and stole it.

    Good luck on trying to find it, buy the big-ass Kryptonite above for the next one, and consider it a learning experience.
  • danielle123
    danielle123
    Carnivore wrote: That is bullshit. Did the police at least take an official report? You would need that anyway for an insurance claim.

    When you encounter police who are behaving unprofessionally, there is recourse:
    http://www.nyc.gov/html/ccrb/
    You should report unprofessional police behavior to the CCRB but don't expect a positive result: http://www.nyclu.org/ccrb

    I reported a police officer dragging a civilian up the stairs at Yankees Stadium by his collar. 4 of us in our row were attorneys and yelling at the police officer to let the guy go. The guy's crime? He asked the officer to move as the officer was obstructing his view of the game. When the officer didn't move, the guy changed seats so he could see. The cop went over and grabbed the guy by his shirt collar, threw him to the ground and then dragged him up the cement steps. The guy was screaming the whole way.

    Because we didn't get the police officer's name, they closed the file.
  • bklynbiker
    bklynbiker
    Last time I checked, the YMCA wasn't running a bike parking lot, so you should be glad there's a camera there for you to grab the video from in the first place. And I'm not surprised the Y isn't the Pinkertons either, making poor little you care about your own dumb ass mistake.

    I would definitely take your evidence to the media-- I heard CNN is working on a series of bike thefts, right after they finish up their piece on why no one smiles in the grocery store.

    You were in the process of ordering heavy duty locks? Then ride your bike back home in Iowa till they arrive. This is Brooklyn.
  • flynn
    flynn
    if someone wants your bike they will get it. this is the bottom line. all bikers i know, myself included, have had at least one bike stolen in nyc. complaining on a blog wont give it back.

    perhaps giving a description of the bike would prove more helpful.

  • bibicha
    bibicha
    I'm torn as to who has the best first board post - BklynBiker or Reconfigure
  • unrepentant fenian
    unrepentant fenian
    Drunken Revival and Bklyn Biker are my new heros for today - thanks for dousing this thread with some common sense.
    I was in the process of ordering heavy duty locks, but used a cable lock for less than one hour.
    And I'm sure it took them under 20 seconds to snatch your 15 year old ride
    I posted a photo to Flickr of the poor security where it was stolen
    What makes you think your entitled to protection from the businesses on the street. It's the streets of Brooklyn. You should count yourself fortunate they didn't snatch your bike with you on it.
    direct evidence of a crime (video footage)
    Someone has been reading too much Nancy Drew. Unless you can identify the guy in the footage you got a grainy photo that could be about 1 of 100.000 people in this city.
    Two out of three cameras on that block do not work. The one that does work is nearly worthless. It is a case of unintentional fraud to display cameras that make people think work, but do not.
    Businesses install cameras to protect their assets, not yours. Are you paying for their installation and maintenance? You are clearly delusional and your tossing around nonsense legal jargon gleaned from old Law & Order episodes don't make a bit of difference.
    I have alot of documentation that will make for an interesting story to go to press with, perhaps.
    Fuck me, it doesn't even make for an interesting thread on here.
  • carmen
    carmen
    Unrepentant Fenian wrote: Drunken Revival and Bklyn Biker are my new heros for today - thanks for dousing this thread with some common sense.
    I was in the process of ordering heavy duty locks, but used a cable lock for less than one hour.
    And I'm sure it took them under 20 seconds to snatch your 15 year old ride
    I posted a photo to Flickr of the poor security where it was stolen
    What makes you think your entitled to protection from the businesses on the street. It's the streets of Bed Stuy. You should count yourself fortunate they didn't snatch your bike with you on it.
    direct evidence of a crime (video footage)
    Someone has been reading too much Nancy Drew. Unless you can identify the guy in the footage you got a grainy photo that could be about 1 of 100.000 people in the Stuy.
    Two out of three cameras on that block do not work. The one that does work is nearly worthless. It is a case of unintentional fraud to display cameras that make people think work, but do not.
    Businesses install cameras to protect their assets, not yours. Are you paying for their installation and maintenance? You are clearly delusional and your tossing around nonsense legal jargon gleaned from old Law & Order episodes don't make a bit of difference.
    I have alot of documentation that will make for an interesting story to go to press with, perhaps.
    Fuck me, it doesn't even make for an interesting thread on here.

    while I agree with most of what you're saying...why do you think this was in bedstuy?
  • ljnd
    ljnd
    Fenian, he said it was in Park Slope, not Bed Stuy.

    I've been seeing a lot of bike thefts recently along 6th Avenue - snipped locks, one of which was a Kryptonite lock (the U-bar kind). The Y is kind of along that route.

    Just as it's folly to have a flashy car in NYC, so it is with bikes as well. Keep your expensive toys inside, and be prepared to lose them anyway - my ex's bike was stolen when someone broke into our house (we were living in Ditmas Park at the time). They came in the back door and walked the bike out the front door before I could stop them (yes, I was in the house).

    Meaning, basically, easy come easy go.
  • unrepentant fenian
    unrepentant fenian
    Carmen wrote:
    while I agree with most of what you're saying...why do you think this was in bedstuy?
    Because clearly I too am an idiot and lack reading comprehension. Fixed it.
    That and I was just reading this: http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=52086Other article about a stolen YMCA bike
  • drunken revival
    drunken revival
    I want to the footage of Flexi eating a sammie at Reis 100.

    Then I want to see the footage of Mougar crunching numbers...

    Then I want to see the footage of LTS hitting the refresh button.

    I also wouldn't be against seeing the footage of Anastiasa beaverhouse making out with scarlet...
  • homeowner
    homeowner
    I think he has this confused with a post in the Bed-Stuy thread about another rube who got his bike jacked after he "parked" it outside the local YMCA while he was working out.
  • drunken revival
    drunken revival
    I actually got this thread confused with a huge steaming pile of dog shit...
  • carnivore
    carnivore
    I agree with everyone about the Y not being responsible for the OP's bike, and for the folly of leaving it protected by a cheap lock. However, there's still no excuse for the police to refuse to look into the crime. You're blaming the victim, and it's akin to blaming a rape victim for wearing a short skirt. There's one person at fault here, and that's the person who stole the bike. It's the job of the police to take a report at a minimum and treat this as an actual crime. It's very interesting that some of the very people who are so outraged by minor traffic violations by cyclists are so quick to dismiss a clear cut crime like a bike theft.
  • metalnyc
    metalnyc
    Did it look like this?

    image


    You might want to check Francis's house.

    image
  • carnivore
    carnivore
    Well played, sir!
  • unrepentant fenian
    unrepentant fenian
    Waddya mean there's no basement in The Alamo?
  • drunken revival
    drunken revival
    I've been waiting for the "blame the victim" drums to start rumbling... The rape victim analogy is a nice touch.

    I guess it is kinda like blaming the rape victim for wearing a shot skirt (and getting seriously drunk, knowingly popping roofy, and then walking past one of those half way houses for convicted rapists while saying how much she likes being spanked)... Even then the rape victim is more a victim then the dude who lost his bike.. EVEN THEN.

    Frankly Carnivore, I can't even find the words to describe how disgusted I am by that analogy. Or by the sweat dripping down my lower back ass cleft into my actually ass crack. DISGUSTING!!
  • opossumqueen
    opossumqueen
    I'd love to hear what would happen if one of those tons of strollers outside the Y disappeared on their watch! :)

    It really sucks that your bike was stolen. They do have a sign saying the area is under video surveillance and it's a really busy stretch of sidewalk which probably makes us feel like it should be fairly safe from such things, but after seeing the video of how easy it easy to steal a bike (burning, cutting locks) in very public places I guess it's not such a shock.
  • rosweed
    rosweed
    I live in a very high crime area. My bike has been locked outside next to the sidewalk for six months using these:

    https://www.kryptonitelock.com/products/ProductDetail.aspx?cid=1001&scid=1002&pid=1168

    https://www.kryptonitelock.com/products/ProductDetail.aspx?cid=1001&scid=1000&pid=1095

    Nothing is fail safe, but, so far, my bike is still there. Good luck!
  • carnivore
    carnivore
    Drunken Revival wrote: Frankly Carnivore, I can't even find the words to describe how disgusted I am by that analogy. Or by the sweat dripping down my lower back ass cleft into my actually ass crack. DISGUSTING!!
    In 1986, Heinrich Rohrer and Gerd Binnig received the Nobel prize for developing the scanning tunneling electron microscope. With this amazing technology, one can see individual atoms making up the surface of an object being examined.

    Even with this incredible device, you would be unable to detect how much I care what you think of my analogy.
  • drunken revival
    drunken revival
    I might have cared in 1986. The year my mother was raped. But I don't, and she wasn't - luckily.

    Nice post carivore in the midst of not apologizing and certainly not complementing.

    Let's makeout?
  • carnivore
    carnivore
    Drunken Revival wrote: I might have cared in 1986. The year my mother was raped. But I don't, and she wasn't - luckily.

    Nice post carivore in the midst of not apologizing and certainly not complementing.

    Let's makeout?
    :roll:
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