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A Report Of A Stolen Bike

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When compared to other crimes, the case of a stolen bike seems like one that does not require a team of investigators. Actually, if asked to describe situation involving a report of a stolen bicycle, one might envision the victim being a child or young adult. The reality of the case is that there is an average of $50 million worth of bikes stolen each year in the United States (Jouvenal, 2007, p.26). The underground network of stolen bikes can be attractive to criminals for some bikes can cost upward of $1,000 or more; that coupled with low penalties if caught and little attention from police and the public in general. Reducing the amount of bicycle thefts can be achieved by raising public awareness and improving prevention and recovery techniques by the police. Bicycle theft seems like a trivial crime, at least to the general public. There are a number of videos on the internet which people pretend to steal a bike in broad daylight and the witnesses seem to not care. In one particular video, an individual uses a power tool and still; witnesses continue on, not even paying attention. So this begs the question, why is this behavior ignored? The primary reason is because bicycle theft is viewed as a petty crime and not given priority by the police, therefore the same attitude is reflected by citizens. Sgt. Joe McCloskey of the San Francisco Police Department admitted that bike theft is not a priority to the department, explaining that offenders are given probation or
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