ThrottleJock

Ok, I talked to a cop at lunch and (as expected) he recommended that I NOT liberate the bike myself, proof-of-purchase-and-balls-of-steel or not. He said that was a pretty bad idea and would DEFINITELY complicate matters to the point that I might get to spend a couple days in the clink 'til it's sorted out if I were to get caught.

He said this would be a piece of cake even if I haven't registered/reported it. He told me to simply call the cops, report it stolen, and mention that I have located the bike and I have proof of purchase. A cop will meet me at the address, verify the number on my paperwork and the bike match, then attempt to contact the thief. If we're able to contact the theif, unless he's able to provide a bill of sale with my signature on it, the bike is mine. If we're unable to locate the thief, the bike can be legally liberated. He also mentioned that if the guy is stealing bikes, he's probably stealing other stuff too, and though a bike theft is hardly worth their time, they'd definitely like to meet the guy. Cool cop.

If it's still there, haha.

ThrottleJock

Hey there's a moral to this story even before it's through, btw.

Write up a bill of sale and have both parties sign anytime you sell a bike/motorcycle/big TV, etc.

challoschott

Yo throttlejock.

Is the miami fixed scene as nonexistant as it is here in Fort Lauderdale? I'm planning on coming down for the critical mass in October, but is there anything else going on, ever??? Sadly, I already know the answer is NO.

There's a handful of us here, I ride everywhere, everyday and own a car. They ride a couple miles to the bar. I worked in and managed bars for 8 years, so these friends are boring the piss out of me.

deathhare

No, the moral of the story is go get your damn bike.

oakdale

I'm amazed the bike is still there. it's such a lucky find to be able to recover your stolen bike, i can't believe you're taking it for granted that it'll still be there whenever you finally get around to going there with a cop.

kemmer

Correct, my mistake.

I'll try but I can't promise anything.

fetch

this thread fails to deliver

V-Rock

HA, talking to a cop is going to work!!! And the cop reinforced the things I and a couple others said.

IN YOUR FACE the majority of other people in this thread.

Please let me gloat; i don't get to do it often.

V-Rock

WRONG, it delivered a mod being a total ****** and advocating violence.

JK, Kemmer. I had to say it. Please don't hate me. I was going to PM you about a bag after I get paid Friday so please don't hate and not give me a bag.

Or worse, let me get a bag and do something really nasty to it before sending it.

kemmer

Haha, no worries but I never said they should do anything to the person in possession of the bike. I only said they should recover it without the help of the cops. I'm relieved that the cops are willing to do something besides harass teenagers and minorities and write traffic tickets. Unfortunately, I haven't had such luck with the police.

time bandit

you are a fool if you think the cops give two ****s about a stolen bike. get serious now. nothing that you said before this even made sense. that guys not gonna stop stealing no matter how much trouble he gets into.

i stand by my stance of "**** the mother ****ing police" At least here in philly. I've had 3 bikes sawed off my lock int he past 5 years and the first two, the cops couldnt care less. they basically rushed me out of the station/off of the phone. and i had reciepts and numbers and REGISTERED my bikes with them. they are a sad sad bunch, and if i ever find a stolen bike of mine, off with the lock chain and the current owners head, theif or not. **** it dude. its bikes.

dobber

As if this wasn't the obvious solution since the first post. But then we wouldn't have had the pig rants and chest thumping, would we.

wroomwroomoops

Yeah. Besides, proof of purchase isn't really all the OP has going for him: his girlfriend can testify that the bike is hers, and all her friends and her parents and other family members that know about the bike. And the OP's friends and family that know about the bike.

vjp

When I was a little kid someone stole my bike that I had handed down from one of my older brothers that I idolized. About 2 years later I was riding on the bus and there was a kid riding my bike down the sidewalk, by the time I got off the bus He was long gone. To this day, whenever I see someone ride by on a blue bike I beat the s**t out of them and take their bike. I have A LOT of blue bikes, but I only ride red bikes, just in case they're looking for me.

V-Rock

I understand. I too have not had much luck with cops and quite frankly think a lot of them are on huge power trips. But I have also met some really nice ones and 3 of my friends have ended up becoming cops (one bike cop) and they are great people. So, I thought it seemed like the appropriate first step before jumping the gun on an idea that had the potential of ending bad if it didn't go smoothly.

Southernwayfare

Go get your bike and if you can figure out if he took the bike squirt some of this under his door and in his car...

https://www.harmondeerscents.com/products.aspx?cat=30

michael 66

**** it!! I'M going to go get the bike!!

SugarPILL

I say make a metal plate that says "bike thief" punch a hole in it and thread a U-lock through it. Wait for him to come out sneak up on him from behind and install U-lock with tag around neck lock and toss key off bridge... I think it would be worth the cost of a used lock.

you get justice and make others aware of this person for a little while...


I hope you the you bike back anyhow.

helloamerican

you're relying on the internet for good judgment.

holy god almighty christ.

a b seize

isn't it obvious? the cop stole your girlfriend's bike.

filtersweep

It aint over yet. I still have my doubts.

2manybikes

Good luck. That's about the best you can do under the circumstances. When the cops don't know what to do they will favor the guy with a receipt. If they have to make a decision on the spot that's how they will go. They might not decide to make a decision on the street, they could decide that court will decide, but if they do that's all they have to go by. This is not a high priority for them.

tt1106

Ok, call the police or better yet, file a station report with the property crimes detective. Explain the circumstances to him.
If you beat the crap out of the guy, you have just left the inconsequential property crimes division (most prevelant crime in the country is property crime, people want what you have, which is why the cops are unconcerned. It's not indifference it's workload) and wandered into crimes against person category, which is much more significant. So now you have put yourself into a category that is a higher priority for the police to solve, meaning they will want to arrest you and prosecute you.
And, as stated, maybe the guy who has the bike is not the guy who stole the bike.
Turning into a thug will only give you the opportunity to see jail overcrowding first hand.
Otherwise, see if your state has a citizen's arrest law. You may even be able to swear out a warrant yourself.

edit: sorry, missed the update on page 5. Good luck.

deathhare

I agree. And he's probably bonin her too.
Theyre laughin like bastids right now at you.

Igneous Faction

Too late.