Tag Archives: bike thefts

The dark side of bait bikes

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Tom Fucoloro

Bike theft is a serious issue. Not only do victims lose the value of their bikes — measured both by money and sentimental value — but they also lose their mobility. A bike isn’t a car stereo or Amazon package, … Continue reading →

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Howell: Vaccinate your bike

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Brock Howell

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Brock Howell of Bicycle Security Advisors. The group is launching a campaign to fight bike theft by getting more people to register their bikes online with Bike Index. Bike theft is a major problem … Continue reading →

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SPD: Police recover 2 stolen mountain bikes for sale on eBay

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Tom Fucoloro

Seattle Police recovered a couple high-end mountain bikes that were stolen in South Seattle recently. The owner spotted them for sale on eBay, and SPD filed warrants to find the seller. This news comes as the City Council debates adding … Continue reading →

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Panel of experts will discuss solutions to bike theft

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Tom Fucoloro

Bike theft continues to rise steeply in Seattle. And that not only costs people money, but many people won’t replace their stolen wheels. At a time when our increasingly congested city needs more people to get around by bike, theft is … Continue reading →

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SPD detective does an AMA about bike theft and other property crime

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Tom Fucoloro

Scotty Bach, a detective with the Seattle Police Department’s Major Crimes Taskforce, answered questions about property crime (including bike theft) on Reddit yesterday. Det. Bach’s answers shed some light on the department’s work and offer some advice for people trying … Continue reading →

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What can Seattle’s bike movement do to help end homelessness?

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Tom Fucoloro

While Mayor Ed Murray was giving a speech on the homelessness emergency in Seattle, five people were shot and two killed at a notorious camping area where Beacon Hill and I-5 meet. Though information is still scarce, the mass shooting … Continue reading →

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SPD: How an officer recovered a stolen mountain bike in Cal Anderson

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Tom Fucoloro

Seattle Police Officer Drew Fowler was on bike patrol in Cal Anderson Park Saturday when he spotted a high-end mountain bike in the hands of a suspected thief. Officer Fowler stopped the man and asked if he could have a … Continue reading →

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With the problem on the rise, UW Police host a Bike Theft Symposium

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Tom Fucoloro

Bike theft is up, at least on UW campus. “It’s our number one property crime on campus,” said UW Police Deputy Chief Csaba Maczala. “That’s a good thing, since violent crime is down. So I’m glad we most have to … Continue reading →

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SPD busts bike theft ring, finds stolen pistol

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Tom Fucoloro

After Seattle Police staged a sting to recover a stolen bicycle posted for sale on Craigslist a few weeks ago, they pushed the lead further and found even more stolen bikes and even a stolen handgun, according to the SPD … Continue reading →

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Community unites to buy honest stolen bike buyer an even better ride

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Tom Fucoloro

What started as yet another stolen bike story morphed into a wonderful tale of a guy who simply did the right thing and a community that came together to thank him … and then some. Yang bought a $500 bike … Continue reading →

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Map: Where bikes are getting stolen + How Bike Index is changing the bike theft game

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Tom Fucoloro

Bike theft has been crazy so far this spring. Or at least it seems that way. Seattle Police received 581 stolen bike reports January through May, according to police report data at data.seattle.gov. But though that is a ton of … Continue reading →

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Bike theft hero spots stranger’s ride, returns it during victim’s costumed birthday bike ride

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Tom Fucoloro

Seattle has a new hero, and her name is Alex Cruse. Alex was in a car in Wallingford with her fiancée and soon-to-be father-in-law when she spotted an orange and white All-City Macho Man bike near an apparent homeless encampment … Continue reading →

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Seattle Police bust Edmonds chop shop, find 60 stolen bikes

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Tom Fucoloro

Seattle Police have made their second big bike theft bust in a month. After getting a tip from a bike theft victim, detectives posed as a buyer and bought a bike from a suspected thief selling bikes on Craigslist. When … Continue reading →

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BikeIndex: How not to buy a stolen bike online

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Tom Fucoloro

Last week, Seattle Bike Blog’s Stolen Bike Listings page went down. It showed no bike listings in the Seattle area, and unfortunately, this was clearly an error. So Bryan Hance of BikeIndex, who runs the software and database that powers … Continue reading →

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SPD officer poses as bike buyer, busts downtown bike theft ring

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Tom Fucoloro

UPDATE: SPD has now posted photos of the bikes. This is great. I sure hope you reported your stolen bike, because the police may have just recovered it. More efforts like this could make stealing bikes to make quick cash … Continue reading →

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After taking stolen bike report, SPD officer spots it with man outside precinct

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Tom Fucoloro

Seattle Police Officer Mark Vwich has a very good memory. A week after he took a report from someone who had their bike stolen from a downtown garage, Vwich spotted the wheels in the hands of a guy hanging around … Continue reading →

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Seattle Bike Blog and BikeIndex partner to provide Seattle stolen bike listings

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Tom Fucoloro

I am excited to announce a new feature on Seattle Bike Blog designed to battle bike theft and help reconnect people with their stolen rides. We have partnered with BikeIndex.org to create a listing of stolen bikes in the Seattle … Continue reading →

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KOMO: Police recover Australian couple’s touring bikes and equipment stolen in Mount Vernon

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Tom Fucoloro

This is a wonderful outcome to a huge bummer of a story: Mount Vernon Police tracked down a married couple who stole a pair of fully-loaded touring bikes back in August. The bikes belonged to Anna Suthers and Billy Barnetson, … Continue reading →

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Jaywork: Ever had a bike stolen? You’re not alone. Here’s what probably happened to it

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Tom Fucoloro

Casey Jaywork has a great story in the most recent Seattle Met focusing on the apparently growing scourge of bike theft in Seattle. He talks to police, he talks to a bike theft tracking expert, he talks to a bike … Continue reading →

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Someone keeps stealing from Bike Works, so now they’re low on BMX bikes

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Tom Fucoloro

Bike theft sucks, but stealing from Bike Works? That’s seriously messed up. Unfortunately, some person (or persons) missing a moral compass has been hitting Bike Works hard this past week, stealing as many as 20 bikes that young bike repair … Continue reading →

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