Over this Summer and early Fall, there have been a rash of bike thefts in the Lower North and South sides of our fair city. I haven't been unaffected by this; some young punk broke into my locked garage and stole my son's brand new West Coast Chopper bike, which we had given him for his birthday.
The city should do more to prevent bike theft. This is a gateway crime, that encourages punks to think of private property as something that is not worth respect.
In addition to taking bike thefts seriously, Great Falls should follow Missoula's lead and institute a voluntary bike registration program. A bike owner should be able to register the particulars about his or her bike, including serial number, with the GFPD. Pawn shops should be required to check against this registry before they are able to buy a bike. The registered owner should be contacted by the shop or the GFPD whenever a bike is brought into a pawn shop, and it should be returned to the lawful owner if it was stolen.
I understand that the management of such a registry database is a bit daunting. However, the fact that the city just pooh-poohs current thefts is deplorable.
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6 comments:
Exactly! Son#1's 3rd bike in 4 years was stolen from right outside his work. The PD really would do nothing for him.
I'd be willing to help start a registration program. I'm tired of having to replace bikes!
Hey Aaron, do you still keep in touch with Paul Andreasen?
Anon;
Why don't we take this offline? aaron AT weissman DOT com
I agrre! I bought a round of bikes for my family this spring, by July only 2 were left and they are inside my backyard next to my personal stuff like lawn and ardena nd patio supplies...I would like to see a registry made!
You do realize that Alias Smith and Jones is owned by former police chief Bob Jones who would lose a lot of money if stolen bikes were registered.
Would one less pawn shop in Great Falls be that bad? Who cares if it's a former police chief. Bike thieves are just like any other thieves....scum, and so are the people willing to make money off of the crime.
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