The Chainlink

Ultimatum for the bike thieves from the Loop Campus of Depaul at 9:15 pm

2 White kids on fixed gear bikes stole my Terry Fly Mens seat (the newer model with the honey comb pattern). Seat post (black, stock item from a redline 29'er monocog) and a black cyclocross style dual bottle cage holder that was mounted on the post (slightly modified from stock.)

You did this from 9:15 to 9:19 pm on 07/02 at the Depaul Loop Campus at 1 E Jackson.

I know this cause I work security there. I stayed late to watch the security footage of you.

Here's the ultimatum: You can return my gear to the Barnes & Noble give it to whomever you like and say its for "Gabe in Security." Do this and I won't pursue you. I won't press charges, nothing happens.

Don't do this and I'll wreck you. I will dedicate my time at work to hounding you. I will make your life miserable. I'll be at Critical Mass looking under the ass of every white trash piece of shit on a fixie. I'll be at alley cat's looking for you. And when i catch you...

Don't believe me? Ask around? Maybe you all ready know me and you didn't know it was my bike.

Why do I care so much if it's just a seat? Cause you are operating under the guise of being bikers in a "community" and that's bullshit. And i bet your friends know you move stolen bike parts. And that means i'm that much closer to you.

Return the bike parts and i stop. Don't, and I'll be everywhere; craigslist, ebay, swap meets, your house.

Get it?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rich S on July 10, 2013 at 3:36pm

I think that's exactly what Gabe is doing.  

It's dog eat dog out there and sometimes you just have to handle things yourself.  Many stolen bikes are recovered by people who scour craigslist and swap-o-rama looking for their bike.  It doesn't help that a lot of cops don't like bikers to begin with.  Just a few weeks ago a cabbie was driving really aggressive on Clark during morning rush hour.  I rode past a cop and said that cab is driving crazy.  The cop replied "that's on you."  While I would have been shocked if the cop pulled the cab over I still found his reply disappointing.  

Skip Montanaro 12mi said:

Are cyclists supposed to set up their own stings, capture video of the perps, then track them to their destination?  I suspect not.

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on July 10, 2013 at 3:52pm

There is no need to let it go. Our so called "voice of reason" leapt to the conclusion that I was suggesting that the police should prioritize property crime over violent crime when I said no such thing. And you correct, investigating violent crimes and property crimes are not mutually exclusive.

You can see from the CPD's annual report that investigations get cleared in both types of crime.

Bicycles constitute a step away from our unsustainable car culture. Stealing a bike isn't just taking a replaceable object. Stealing a bike is stabbing our planet in the face. We can't just let it go as an inevitable side-effect of urban life. 


Skip Montanaro 12mi said:

I suppose I should just let this go.  I don't see that investigating homicides and property theft are mutually exclusive activities.  I realize the police need to prioritize their activities, however I imagine there are sections of the police department which investigate all sorts of low-level crime: shoplifting, purse snatching, pickpockets. How is bicycle theft less important than that other stuff?  Are cyclists supposed to set up their own stings, capture video of the perps, then track them to their destination?  I suspect not.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on July 10, 2013 at 4:11pm

Never let it be said that I advocate or in any way condone stabbing our planet in the face. I was merely trying to suggest some practical solutions to a bike theft problem which often appears to be more widespread or "out of control" than the data suggests. 

Tony Adams 7 mi (dirtbag hipstr) said:

There is no need to let it go. Our so called "voice of reason" leapt to the conclusion that I was suggesting that the police should prioritize property crime over violent crime when I said no such thing. And you correct, investigating violent crimes and property crimes are not mutually exclusive.

You can see from the CPD's annual report that investigations get cleared in both types of crime.

Bicycles constitute a step away from our unsustainable car culture. Stealing a bike isn't just taking a replaceable object. Stealing a bike is stabbing our planet in the face. We can't just let it go as an inevitable side-effect of urban life. 


Skip Montanaro 12mi said:

I suppose I should just let this go.  I don't see that investigating homicides and property theft are mutually exclusive activities.  I realize the police need to prioritize their activities, however I imagine there are sections of the police department which investigate all sorts of low-level crime: shoplifting, purse snatching, pickpockets. How is bicycle theft less important than that other stuff?  Are cyclists supposed to set up their own stings, capture video of the perps, then track them to their destination?  I suspect not.

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on July 10, 2013 at 4:27pm

The point Kevin made which seems to be getting lost is that Chicago police have almost no resources to devote to property crimes of any kind. We are not unique here-- other major cities have also effectively discontinued any sort of investigative follow-up for property crimes.

I'm not saying this is great, and I'm not saying I wouldn't want bicycles to be at the top of the list if somehow resources would again be devoted to property crimes, but that's the way it is. 

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on July 10, 2013 at 4:30pm

The CPD annual report suggests otherwise, unless you don't classify Motor Vehicle Theft as property crime. 

h' 1.0 said:

The point Kevin made which seems to be getting lost is that Chicago police have almost no resources to devote to property crimes of any kind. We are not unique here-- other major cities have also effectively discontinued any sort of investigative follow-up for property crimes.

I'm not saying this is great, and I'm not saying I wouldn't want bicycles to be at the top of the list if somehow resources would again be devoted to property crimes, but that's the way it is. 

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on July 10, 2013 at 4:36pm

Link? Details?
Skip wrote- "I imagine there are sections of the police department which investigate all sorts of low-level crime: shoplifting, purse snatching, pickpockets"

What does the annual report say about that?

Tony Adams 7 mi (dirtbag hipstr) said:

The CPD annual report suggests otherwise, unless you don't classify Motor Vehicle Theft as property crime. 

h' 1.0 said:

The point Kevin made which seems to be getting lost is that Chicago police have almost no resources to devote to property crimes of any kind. We are not unique here-- other major cities have also effectively discontinued any sort of investigative follow-up for property crimes.

I'm not saying this is great, and I'm not saying I wouldn't want bicycles to be at the top of the list if somehow resources would again be devoted to property crimes, but that's the way it is. 

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on July 10, 2013 at 5:11pm

I'm just responding to your assertion that "that Chicago police have almost no resources to devote to property crimes of any kind."

They must have more than "almost no resources" if they can clear 15,646 property crimes (12.9% cleared) in a year. (per the 2010 Annual Report - unfortunately the latest available). This is vs 10,168 violent crimes cleared in the same year (33.3% cleared). The difference in the clearance percentages suggests pretty strongly that violent crimes are a higher priority - as they should be. But the numbers make clear that significant resources go toward investigating both types of crime.

https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath/News/...

h' 1.0 said:

Link? Details?
Skip wrote- "I imagine there are sections of the police department which investigate all sorts of low-level crime: shoplifting, purse snatching, pickpockets"

What does the annual report say about that?

Tony Adams 7 mi (dirtbag hipstr) said:

The CPD annual report suggests otherwise, unless you don't classify Motor Vehicle Theft as property crime. 

h' 1.0 said:

The point Kevin made which seems to be getting lost is that Chicago police have almost no resources to devote to property crimes of any kind. We are not unique here-- other major cities have also effectively discontinued any sort of investigative follow-up for property crimes.

I'm not saying this is great, and I'm not saying I wouldn't want bicycles to be at the top of the list if somehow resources would again be devoted to property crimes, but that's the way it is. 

Permalink Reply by Will on July 10, 2013 at 5:19pm

Property crime gets investigated and cleared when it's significant. A $150 saddle doesn't really count. A $500 bike doesn't really count. A $10,000 bike might count. Also, consider that a car weighs 3,000+ pounds, takes up a lot of space, and is must much easier to find when it's been reported stolen. Also, cars almost invariably have serial (VIN) numbers and are registered and regulated by the state and local governments, whereas bicycles are not.

Permalink Reply by Rich S on July 10, 2013 at 5:23pm

I would caution against correlating cases cleared with cases investigated.  Of those cleared a significant portion could have been solved by the victim.  Anyone who reports their bike stolen and successfully recovers it themselves falls into this category.  CPD will have the statistic of the case being cleared even though they did no more than take down the report and then mark it as solved once the victim reports their bike back in their possession.  

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on July 10, 2013 at 6:47pm

As Rich described, I think it's cherry picking to use this report to make any conclusions re: what sort of investigative resources were devoted to investigating property crimes.

There are some clues in here that cuggest the opposite, though, such as the note on page 18 (sidebar) that warn that the clearance data may not be accurate since it's carried over from 2009, and "detectives did not have as much time to clear cases in 2010."

Anyways, your point seems to be that bicycle theft should be devoted equal resources to motor vehicle theft....?



Tony Adams 7 mi (dirtbag hipstr) said:

I'm just responding to your assertion that "that Chicago police have almost no resources to devote to property crimes of any kind."

They must have more than "almost no resources" if they can clear 15,646 property crimes (12.9% cleared) in a year. (per the 2010 Annual Report - unfortunately the latest available). This is vs 10,168 violent crimes cleared in the same year (33.3% cleared). The difference in the clearance percentages suggests pretty strongly that violent crimes are a higher priority - as they should be. But the numbers make clear that significant resources go toward investigating both types of crime.

https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath/News/...

h' 1.0 said:

Link? Details?
Skip wrote- "I imagine there are sections of the police department which investigate all sorts of low-level crime: shoplifting, purse snatching, pickpockets"

What does the annual report say about that?

Tony Adams 7 mi (dirtbag hipstr) said:

The CPD annual report suggests otherwise, unless you don't classify Motor Vehicle Theft as property crime. 

h' 1.0 said:

The point Kevin made which seems to be getting lost is that Chicago police have almost no resources to devote to property crimes of any kind. We are not unique here-- other major cities have also effectively discontinued any sort of investigative follow-up for property crimes.

I'm not saying this is great, and I'm not saying I wouldn't want bicycles to be at the top of the list if somehow resources would again be devoted to property crimes, but that's the way it is. 

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on July 10, 2013 at 6:48pm

So investigative resources are doled out to an extent on the basis of how much the item weighed and how much space it took up?
Interesting.


Will said:

Property crime gets investigated and cleared when it's significant. A $150 saddle doesn't really count. A $500 bike doesn't really count. A $10,000 bike might count. Also, consider that a car weighs 3,000+ pounds, takes up a lot of space, and is must much easier to find when it's been reported stolen. Also, cars almost invariably have serial (VIN) numbers and are registered and regulated by the state and local governments, whereas bicycles are not.

Permalink Reply by Will on July 11, 2013 at 6:58am

Do you have problems with reading comprehension? What I'm saying is, it might be easier to find a car because of its size and government regulation.

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