A sign of the times on Ocean Boulevard – Photo by Greggory Moore
11:22am | If you have even a passing familiarity with the bike community in Long Beach, you know that bike theft is endemic here. This may not make us unique, and this may not be new, but that we are growing our bike community by bunny hops and bounds means our fair city is becoming an increasingly target-rich environment. And clearly, there’s no shortage of exploiters willing to take aim.
Yes, locking your bike is a good start, preferably with a sturdy U-lock. But the question I’m asking is whether there are any strategies we as a community might employ to change the culture of thievery that thrives among us.
I was, and continue to be, against compulsory bike registration, and that the City ever not only had such a law on the books but actively enforced it is shameful; but it’s hard to argue against the reality that registering your bike means there’s a far better chance of its being recovered — and its thief getting his/her legal comeuppance — if it’s stolen.
A pertinent practice that over time might actually make bike thieves less comfortable peddling their stolen wares here is to check for bike registration on every used bike you ever consider buying, and then calling the police to find out whether that bike has been reported stolen. Yeah, it’s a clunky process, but isn’t minimizing the chance that you’re buying stolen property worth the effort?
Alas, when I was bike shopping last month and came across a fellow who seemed to fit the profile of a bike thief unloading hot merchandise, such an obvious maneuver didn’t occur to me until it was too late. Woulda, shoulda, coulda.
When I wrote about my experience, several commenters said I ought to have called the police on this guy. Why didn’t I? It’s not because I’m averse to involving the police when I have knowledge of true wrongdoing — quite the contrary, in fact — but because, unlike some Long Beach Post readers, I am hesitant to take action that may result in my innocent neighbors being subject to police scrutiny, since most people don’t want the police involved in their affairs (never mind that police had enough to do without looking into non-criminal behavior even before budget cuts that reach down to the bone).
But what can we do? Can we change this aspect of life in Long Beach, or do we have to sit and take it? Is there some way to be a bike-friendly town and at the same time actively antagonistic toward bike theft? I’m a newbie in the bike community, so you tell me.