Bike Theft Reporting Issues with MTP

Daniel Ney wrote in to Dr. Gridlock about difficulties with reporting a bike theft at the College Park Metro Station. After getting to the correct Police Department (Metro Transit) he was told he'd not be able to report the crime over the phone.

The person on the phone then went on to say that I would have to come down to a Metro station and then an officer would be dispatched to the station to take my report. I argued that this was a waste of my time and Metro's, as I was not near a Metro stop, nor would it be convenient for me to go to one. I was then asked to hold, but no one ever came back to assist me.

I called back later that day, and I insisted that I was not able to come to a Metro station. I was transferred to someone who took down my name and number and said that an officer would call me later. I did receive a call later in the day, and I was then able to complete the crime report.

Dr. Gridlock did some digging.

Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn told me that he prefers to have police talk in person to crime victims. "It's better to do face-to-face," he said. Although it would probably be more convenient for both the police and the crime victim to take some reports over the phone, police will take the time to go out to meet the traveler.

The department is short-staffed considering its mission, but a more flexible reporting program might help gather information for certain less-serious types of crimes. Some departments routinely take such reports over the phone or online now.

I'm going to agree with Dr. G on this one (except maybe the 'less-serious'). Perhaps the difficulty in reporting causes under reporting and perhaps that is causing MTP to not deal aggressively enough with bike theft at Metro Stations.

After the theft, he bought a new bike. About a week later, he said, the front tire was stolen while the bike was in the rack at the College Park Station.

Comments

[old guy]

Not on point, but this is a great bike blog. And most of the posters are terrific too. With so much crap on the internet, it is really refreshing to experience the quality of the dialog here.

[kenf]

"About a week later, he said, the front tire was stolen while the bike was in the rack at the College Park Station."

Gee, this thief went to a lot of trouble. The thief had to remove the front wheel from the bike, deflate the tire, remove the tire from the rim of the wheel, and then replace the wheel.

And, if the bike owner had a clue, he would have properly locked the bike so the front wheel could not be removed.

[Washcycle]

On most bikes I see locked up, both wheels are not locked. Nor is the seat locked, etc... There's always more one could do to prevent theft, but that doesn't make him clueless. You should be able to lock up your bike outside a Metro station and find it there when you get back - and blaming the victim isn't going to get us to that point.

[valoflyby]

Great blog -

Maybe I haven't seen it here, or anywhere really, but what about a discussion about the pros / cons regarding the various ways of locking up your bike? Ulocking front & rear wheels through frame, cable locking frame & wheels in place, quick release seat post clamps, vs. allen key, commuting via junker, etc. Just a thought, but I'd love to hear the thought process.