Bike stolen from Davis racks today (Tuesday); any witnesses?

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

maru_mari's blue Dahon Speed D7 (picture) folding bike was stolen today from the bike racks on the Meacham Road side of Davis station.

She called Somerville police, who told her that a witness had called to report that a group of 5 black males and one hispanic male were stealing that bike. (The struck-out phrase is what the dispatcher told maru_mari; notfunny, who called, said something different.) The witness did not give her name or contact info. They forwarded the call to MBTA police, who seem to have ignored the call and not made any record of it.

If you or someone you know saw this happening or saw that bike today, we'd appreciate hearing from you, especially if you can fill in details like the time the theft happened and any other aspects of the thieves' appearance.

The bike was locked with a cable lock at about 9:30 AM, and we came back at about 11 PM to find that the lock had been cut and the bike removed. My bike, which was nearby and locked with a U-lock, was knocked over but still there.

If you see a blue folding bike around, she'd like to hear about it. She's had this one for more than a year and it has a number of quirks by which we could recognize it; the one easiest to see in passing is that the cargo cords on the rack (see picture linked above) are gone.

Comments

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

Why would the Somerville or MTBA police not respond to a crime in progress?

I hope that she gets her bike back.

[somertricky.livejournal.com]

+1. Is the Balkanization that runs rampant in this state so ingrained that Somerville police can't properly rumble a bunch of suspected perps because they're on MBTA property?

Eff that shite, this needs to change - is this something than can be handled on a city level (via BOA), or something to take up with the state? I've had enough.

[ron_newman]

I don't understand that either - don't Somerville police have jurisdiction to make arrests anywhere within the city limits, and probably even beyond into neighboring towns and cities?

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid the answer is that police don't take bicycle crime seriously. I'm willing to be convinced otherwise, but that's the impression I've taken away from this.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Bob Mionske (http://www.bicyclelaw.com/) is a great (if often depressing) resource for this sort of thing.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I've wanted that bike for a few years now, but I did not take it.

Good luck!

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

Tell your friend to start looking for the bike on Craigslist, as I've heard of other people finding their stolen bikes there for sale.

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

Yep, got a saved search already.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

1. I think someone (maybe me!) should put up a big sign next to that rack that just says "DO NOT USE A CABLE LOCK"

2. WTF? People are stealing bikes in the middle of Davis Square in broad daylight and getting away with it?!

[m00n.livejournal.com]

3. New rule: If you walk by the bike path and see people stealing bicycles, start taking their picture with your cell phone camera!

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

As someone who also owns a Dahon folding bike, I can say it is BLOODY HARD to get a U lock to do anything worthwhile when applied to that kind of bike, Cable locks may be easier to break, but you can weave them through more parts of the bike. I try to combine both types of locks, but I hardly leave my bike at the T for fear of the above happening. I entirely agree with your statement, but felt that I could commiserate with the owner of this bike as to how challenging it could be to lock up in a secure way.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

I guess I would say it doesn't really matter how easy the lock is to use if it doesn't actually secure the bike against theft. Their track record is so bad that I'm actually kind of offended that the bike stores are even willing to sell them. Especially the ones in the city.

Besides, the medium-sized U-lock would definitely fit around this particular folding bike's "top-tube" and the kinds of bike rack in use at the train station. Another trick that works is putting the lock around the rear rim between the chainstays and the dropouts. Or maybe that tiny little down tube behind the cranks.

The point is the cable locks just aren't a viable alternative no matter how easy they are to use. It seems like people only use them because they don't know any better.

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

Good point. Mine is a bit different, but I'll have to try playing around with having it backward and hooking the U lock through that way. I've always used the cable lock as supplemental and never primary, I figured if anything the additional time it might take to bust through would be a deterrent :)

[m00n.livejournal.com]

I figured if anything the additional time it might take to bust through would be a deterrent

This is somewhat predicated on the criminals believing that the neighborhood gives a shit which, apparently, they don't! If you've got people willing to steal something that takes 15-20 minutes to steal, in the middle of a busy area in broad daylight, you've got a bigger problem than just using the wrong lock.

Another thing I learned the hard way though: Even if the thief only gets halfway through your cable lock, they may not get your bike, but you still have to replace the lock. I learned this one in Chicago about 4 hours after I bought my first and last cable lock.

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've been against cable locks for a long time and felt really foolish for not at least locking both bikes with both locks as long as they were both there. An interesting thing in this case, though, is that the cable lock did a great job of what it's good at: it made the guys stand there sawing through it long enough that they got noticed. Too bad the cops couldn't be bothered to stroll over and have a look.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

Too bad the cops couldn't be bothered to stroll over and have a look.

Now that *is* offensive. Kind of makes me think that maybe I should lock my bike up with a cable lock and then train a couple of cameras on it. :-)

[jodi.livejournal.com]

all four of my stolen bikes have been stolen in broad daylight (before i moved to davis) and any bike accessories i've lost have been in the daytime, too.

also, i had the same reaction about the cable lock.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

Am I the only one that is deeply upset about this? This means that there are probably dozens of people who walked by and saw this happening and did even say anything about it. No wonder there's so much bike theft! I'd like to think I could say a *little* more for my fellow neighbors.

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

I'm really sorry to hear this happened. I'll keep an eye out for you. I have a P8 Glide that I rarely ride anywhere I can't take it in with me, mostly because it's hard to lock up in a secure way. Good luck!!!

[yourenotwithme.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry to hear about this. If I see anything, I will let you know.

[xuth.livejournal.com]

I've seen lots of interesting comments here. Personally I generally lock my bicycle with a pair of u locks. This gets both wheels and the frame locked up with minimal hassle and no screwing around with a cable lock. Note that this is heavier than some people's bicycles. The other comment I have is that I can break (or even just unlock) many locks with little more obvious fuss than someone fumbling with a set of keys or a combination. Most cable locks fall into this class. Someone who knows what they're doing can fairly easily break many types of locks without attracting any attention.

Are there any security cameras at the T stop that might overlook your bicycle? (and if there isn't, why not? They've plastered security cameras everywhere else in and around the T station).

[dougo.livejournal.com]

Sure, it's easy to break a cheap lock, but it makes me wonder why so many criminals bother to take bikes. Is there a big market in stolen bikes? Who's buying them?

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

No cameras. Believe me, we looked, including looking for webcams in windows of nearby offices.

It pisses me off to no end that the T will blow $1,000,000 on a cage at Alewife that absolutely anyone can get into, but $500 for a security camera pointed at the bike racks is out of the question. I have half a mind to sit there all fucking day taking pictures, not that I expect much to be done with them if I took them.

I use a Kryptonite flat-key U-lock. Are you saying you can break that quickly without resorting to a car jack? (I ride a real beater of a fixie most of the time, but if there's a quick way around the lock, I want to know it.)

Also, hey! I've seen you around Tech Squares.

[notfunny.livejournal.com]

I may have seen this happen on my way home last night - I called 311 at 6:40 and was connected to the police dispatch. What I saw is different than what you've heard, and I did leave my name and phone number, so it sounds like they're referencing a different call.

Was the bike locked to the rack that runs parallel to Holland Street? I thought the bike I saw last night was a folding bike, and told the dispatcher just that - feel free to email (babylumberjack@rocketmail.com)
if you have other questions. I really don't have a whole lot of information, it was all very quick - sorry!

Perhaps they same guys were stealing

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

multiple bikes at nearby locations. It would make sense, to maximize profits...