Chicago Police Dept. Bike Registry????

Hi there, I saw mention of this on a thread, but would like elaboration...

My neighbor and I were talking about all the bike thefts this summer, and he asked me if it was possible to register one's bike BEFORE it gets stolen.   

I saw that the Chicago Police Dept. has a registry.  Has anyone registered?  How does it work?   Most importantly, is there a benefit to it - or not?

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Amy on August 15, 2010 at 2:58pm
I guess the only advantage to registering is that the paperwork is already on file???

I am also wondering how often is a bike turned into the CPD and the registry checked. Maybe in a small town, but here in Chicago?
Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on August 15, 2010 at 4:55pm
U of C offers registration services that are probably worth looking into for anyone affiliated with the university (says the guy who hasn't bothered to do so). They give you a wacky sticker to put on your bike and there's anecdotal reason to think that having such a sticker makes the bike a bit less likely to be stolen just because it's so identifiable. Not sure if other colleges in town do the same but worth checking out for people with school affiliations.
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on August 16, 2010 at 1:56am
You can register online here. If a stolen or abandoned bike is recovered by the police, they will check it against the registry. If it's registered, they'll contact the owner. If it's not, it goes to the warehouse for the quarterly auctions. Registration is painless. Everyone should take the 2 minutes it takes.
Permalink Reply by Amy on August 16, 2010 at 1:57am
Oh, what I would do for a wacky sticker that prevents my bike from being stolen...sigh, sigh.

My commuter bike had a university sticker on it. It was stolen. Interestingly, I called the university because I could not locate the serial number and thought it might be on file there. Turns out, they only keep those registrations for a few years and then "poof!" So those of you who are counting on others to keep track of your bike, don't.

Thanks for the ordinance info too. Very interesting, especially the part about bicycle dealers reporting to the commissioner of police - who knew?! Ha ha.

Seriously, I would like to know what Chicago does with those registration forms. Anyone? And, if they are not being used in any productive way, could we in the bicycle community make use of them to benefit our community?
Permalink Reply by Amy on August 16, 2010 at 2:45am
Thanks, didn't see Kevin's response when I last posted - I think we were posting at the same time.

I guess the whole "system" rides on the premise, "If a stolen or abandoned bike is recovered by the police." Do we have any evidence that that happens here in Chicago and that the police follow through as you suggest?

If the system works (in practice and not just "in theory"), there would be good reason to register. Otherwise, I can see why people wouldn't bother.


Kevin Conway said:
You can register online here. If a stolen or abandoned bike is recovered by the police, they will check it against the registry. If it's registered, they'll contact the owner. If it's not, it goes to the warehouse for the quarterly auctions. Registration is painless. Everyone should take the 2 minutes it takes.
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on August 16, 2010 at 2:54am
Your expectation is that it won't work.
It takes two minutes to register online, and it might work.
The City/CPD goes to the trouble to maintain the site.
If you aren't registered it absolutely won't work.
What possible reason do you have to not register?

Amy Abramson said:
Thanks, didn't see Kevin's response when I last posted - I think we were posting at the same time.
I guess the whole "system" rides on the premise, "If a stolen or abandoned bike is recovered by the police." Do we have any evidence that that happens here in Chicago and that the police follow through as you suggest?
If the system works (in practice and not just "in theory"), there would be good reason to register. Otherwise, I can see why people wouldn't bother.


Kevin Conway said:
You can register online here. If a stolen or abandoned bike is recovered by the police, they will check it against the registry. If it's registered, they'll contact the owner. If it's not, it goes to the warehouse for the quarterly auctions. Registration is painless. Everyone should take the 2 minutes it takes.
Permalink Reply by spacemodular on August 16, 2010 at 6:32am
I tried to use it - there log in didn't work. Not exactly 2 minutes either...

Amy Abramson said:
Thanks, didn't see Kevin's response when I last posted - I think we were posting at the same time.

I guess the whole "system" rides on the premise, "If a stolen or abandoned bike is recovered by the police." Do we have any evidence that that happens here in Chicago and that the police follow through as you suggest?

If the system works (in practice and not just "in theory"), there would be good reason to register. Otherwise, I can see why people wouldn't bother.


Kevin Conway said:
You can register online here. If a stolen or abandoned bike is recovered by the police, they will check it against the registry. If it's registered, they'll contact the owner. If it's not, it goes to the warehouse for the quarterly auctions. Registration is painless. Everyone should take the 2 minutes it takes.
Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on August 16, 2010 at 6:33am
I'm at a real loss to understand why someone would not register. Especially someone as well informed and involved as you are, Howard.

Anyone that has read this thread has lost more time than it would take to use the online registration tool. Even if the site was a complete waste of time, you've only lost 2 minutes. But if there is even the slightest chance that it works, then you've potentially gained your bike back. At a minimum, should your bike get stolen and assuming you've registered your bike, the site will have some of the information you will need to fill out an insurance report (e.g., serial number, make and model, etc.).

Please explain to me what the downside is.

H3N3 said:
I'm with Amy. I'd like to see some "insider" info that thereactually is some sort of functional system in place. Anyone here know anyone who works for CPD?
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on August 16, 2010 at 7:09am
Saw your post. Went to the link and created a new user name and password. Logged into the online bike registration page. Didn't register my bike, because I already have. Took me two and a half minutes. I stand corrected.

spacemodular said:
I tried to use it - there log in didn't work. Not exactly 2 minutes either...


Kevin Conway said:
You can register online here. If a stolen or abandoned bike is recovered by the police, they will check it against the registry. If it's registered, they'll contact the owner. If it's not, it goes to the warehouse for the quarterly auctions. Registration is painless. Everyone should take the 2 minutes it takes.
Permalink Reply by Jason W on August 16, 2010 at 9:55am
If I wasted 2 mins every time someone asked me to, I would have no free time at all...
Permalink Reply by Amy on August 16, 2010 at 10:48am
As I was thinking more about this issue, I was also thinking along the same lines as Joe: At the very least the Police Dept. Registry provides a place for people to store serial numbers, bike info, etc. And, unlike other registries, this one is free (so far).

Joe Studer said:
I'm at a real loss to understand why someone would not register. Especially someone as well informed and involved as you are, Howard.

Anyone that has read this thread has lost more time than it would take to use the online registration tool. Even if the site was a complete waste of time, you've only lost 2 minutes. But if there is even the slightest chance that it works, then you've potentially gained your bike back. At a minimum, should your bike get stolen and assuming you've registered your bike, the site will have some of the information you will need to fill out an insurance report (e.g., serial number, make and model, etc.).

Please explain to me what the downside is.

H3N3 said:
I'm with Amy. I'd like to see some "insider" info that thereactually is some sort of functional system in place. Anyone here know anyone who works for CPD?
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on August 16, 2010 at 10:50am
Yes, you get something you can print.

H3N3 said:
Well, precisely because I'm well informed, and because I like being well informed, I'd like to know what happens with the information once you send it off into the ether, particularly whether anyone is able to access it again and who and under what circumstances. I have never ever heard of anyone being contacted by the Chicago* police out of the blue to come pick up their recovered bicycle.

*stories abound for other municipalities though . . .

I will register later tonight just to see what happens (do you get anything you can print? if you do this could be very valuable)

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