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Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on October 17, 2016 at 7:19pm

The proper and ethical thing to do if you find a stolen bike:

From: Bikeportland.org. "Is this thing hot? What to do if you think you found a stolen bike."

"If the bike has clearly been left there and the owner/rider isn’t around, please take it in and call the police non-emergency number. Sometimes the bike has been stolen and dumped, or stashed someplace in the bushes for the thief to come back and get later.

Let the call-taker know that you found a bike and would like to turn it in. The call-taker will probably set up a “found property” call for an officer to come and get the bike from you. This is a low priority call, however, so ideally you have some time to wait around—maybe you can put it in your garage for safekeeping and get back to mowing the grass while you wait for the officer.

Upon arrival, the officer will probably do a quick serial number check to see if the bike was reported stolen by serial number. She will ask you where and when you found it, and should give you a receipt for it.

If we can’t immediately determine the owner, we will hold on to it for around 60 days. You may request to keep the bike if we are unable to find an owner. Tell the officer who comes to get the bike that you would like to file a finders claim. Be sure to get a property receipt if you do this. Instructions for filing such a claim are on the back of the receipt. You should also call the Property Evidence Division within five days of turning in the bicycle to be sure your claim was registered—phone number is on the back of the receipt."

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