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From bike rack to chop shop: The growing trend in theft

By Gary Horcher

"We see bikes that tend to be gathered together in a camp, and people tend to be breaking them down," said Seattle police Detective Patrick Michaud.

By Gary Horcher

SEATTLE — When "Chris," an avid Seattle cyclist, saw two men rolling expensive-looking, new bikes from a homeless encampment to a Fremont bus stop, he became very suspicious.
 
"I've had a bike stolen myself," he said. "My wife's had a bike stolen, it's something that really affects this city."
 
Chris said the men, who appeared to be homeless, met two women who hung the new bikes on a metro bus rack. He said three in the group boarded the bus, leaving one man behind.
 
Chris says he watched as the man searched dumpsters on the walk back to his tent, which is a few feet away from the Burke Gilman Trail, where thousands of cyclists roll by in a blur around the clock.

"Those bikes were stolen," he theorized. "They were probably taken locally somewhere near here in the neighborhood, and they were put on a bus to be transported probably to a chop shop."

Chris was frustrated by what he'd seen, but instead of immediately calling Seattle police, he decided to post his observations on the social media site Reddit, to see if anyone else in Seattle's bike community had ever heard of such a thing.
 
Within hours, Chris' post was the hottest topic on Reddit. It received more than 200 replies. It also got the attention of Seattle police.
 
"We see bikes that tend to be gathered together in a camp, and people tend to be breaking them down," said SPD's Detective Patrick Michaud, who said Chris’ Reddit post was forwarded to the major Crimes Unit, even before Chris made a formal police report.

https://twitter.com/GetYourBikeBack/status/661944436830527488

 
Michaud told KIRO-7 what Chris saw is familiar to police, because it fits a growing criminal trend.
 
From Portland to Olympia to Seattle, stolen bicycle chop shops have been discovered in encampments and on transient trails on a consistent basis, according to police.
 
Last year, Olympia police found hundreds of stolen bikes when they raided one camp. Many of the intact bikes had been re-assembled with parts of other stolen bikes.
 
"It's not organized, but it is a crime of opportunity," Michaud said. "They see a chance, they steal a bike, and they know someone who will buy it."
 
Chris, who posted a map on Reddit showing the location of the encampment, says catching the thieves would be good for everyone--including the homeless.
 
"The (thieves) are probably the same people that are preying on other homeless who are most vulnerable," He said. "I'd like to see police go after those people first."

Seattle police is strongly urging every bike owner to take a photo with the bike, photograph the serial number, and save it in a secure place. If your bike is stolen, the frame could be identified, even if it’s chopped for parts.
Seattle Police list many of the recovered bikes on their twitter page @GetYourBikeBack.

KIRO

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