Bubba_s
Pissant Squid #186
It finally happened
Our cozy little space was invaded by someone and as a result my son's new bake was purloined. It was only two months old (Merry Christmas son!), an entry level Specialized 29" that cost us over $400.
The bike was just inside of the unlocked gate that leads to our breezeway (Space in between the house and garage that has a roof over it). I had asked him to lock the bike up to itself so at least it would be a little difficult to steal, he did not. So I walked outside to leave for work and notice the gate was left open. This was VERY strange as I am very, um, PASSIONATE about keeping the gate closed (85lb dog). They only took the one bike. There was another available right there.
Having been robbed more than once, I already knew how horrible it feels and those feelings came back.
I woke up my wife and told her what happened and ended up staying home that day to beef up our lax security situation. better lights, cameras on the way bike all locked in our garage. Being a bit of a pessimist (which I need to change) I didn't even want to file a report. This is a key part of the story. My wife DID want to file a police report. So I went down to the station and reported the theft. The officer was a really nice guy, he took the stats, including the bike's serial number. He said they don't often get bikes back. Sometime after filing the report I remembered a detail of the bike that was unique, an LED light I made from scratch. It was very odd looking, wonky, almost hipsterish if I'm being honest. I made it and gave it to him for his birthday. I sent the officer an email detailing what the light looked like.
A day later I got a call from the officer. I figured he wanted to ask about some details about the bike but he was actually calling to tell me that they had recovered it!! Two days after the incident smoke was reported from a "meth camp" in a park. The police responded to check it out and found a gathering of vagrants and a few bikes. The officer asked who the bikes belonged to and no one was stupid enough to say they were theirs so the cops took them. No arrests.
I picked up my kid from school and went straight to pick up the bike. They had swapped a few parts on two bikes so I ended up having to bring tools and do a minor reassembly job on the seat and grips and remove a rack they added. The shitheads also did a little coloring to one of the logos (I have scraped that off now) but the bike was back! The idiots left my homemade light on the bike (They moved it, GREAT THINKING DIPSHITS!) and that stuck out to the officer when he came across the group.
I am sharing this for a few reasons:
To show appreciation for a job well done by the police.
To show that it can be worth it to fill out a report. (DO IT!!)
But mostly because it is a story with a happy ending. Seeing my kid's reaction to getting his bike back was a joyful moment for me.
We brought cookies to the station when we picked the bike up. I wanted to bring donuts as a joke but I didn't want to chance it. I hope they enjoyed the cookies!!
Our cozy little space was invaded by someone and as a result my son's new bake was purloined. It was only two months old (Merry Christmas son!), an entry level Specialized 29" that cost us over $400.
The bike was just inside of the unlocked gate that leads to our breezeway (Space in between the house and garage that has a roof over it). I had asked him to lock the bike up to itself so at least it would be a little difficult to steal, he did not. So I walked outside to leave for work and notice the gate was left open. This was VERY strange as I am very, um, PASSIONATE about keeping the gate closed (85lb dog). They only took the one bike. There was another available right there.
Having been robbed more than once, I already knew how horrible it feels and those feelings came back.
I woke up my wife and told her what happened and ended up staying home that day to beef up our lax security situation. better lights, cameras on the way bike all locked in our garage. Being a bit of a pessimist (which I need to change) I didn't even want to file a report. This is a key part of the story. My wife DID want to file a police report. So I went down to the station and reported the theft. The officer was a really nice guy, he took the stats, including the bike's serial number. He said they don't often get bikes back. Sometime after filing the report I remembered a detail of the bike that was unique, an LED light I made from scratch. It was very odd looking, wonky, almost hipsterish if I'm being honest. I made it and gave it to him for his birthday. I sent the officer an email detailing what the light looked like.
A day later I got a call from the officer. I figured he wanted to ask about some details about the bike but he was actually calling to tell me that they had recovered it!! Two days after the incident smoke was reported from a "meth camp" in a park. The police responded to check it out and found a gathering of vagrants and a few bikes. The officer asked who the bikes belonged to and no one was stupid enough to say they were theirs so the cops took them. No arrests.
I picked up my kid from school and went straight to pick up the bike. They had swapped a few parts on two bikes so I ended up having to bring tools and do a minor reassembly job on the seat and grips and remove a rack they added. The shitheads also did a little coloring to one of the logos (I have scraped that off now) but the bike was back! The idiots left my homemade light on the bike (They moved it, GREAT THINKING DIPSHITS!) and that stuck out to the officer when he came across the group.
I am sharing this for a few reasons:
To show appreciation for a job well done by the police.
To show that it can be worth it to fill out a report. (DO IT!!)
But mostly because it is a story with a happy ending. Seeing my kid's reaction to getting his bike back was a joyful moment for me.
We brought cookies to the station when we picked the bike up. I wanted to bring donuts as a joke but I didn't want to chance it. I hope they enjoyed the cookies!!
