Tale of a Stolen Cargo Bike… and Egregious Lack of Traction With SF Police
I replaced my ‘98 Chevy Blazer with an electric cargo bike during the pandemic, A Tern GSD S10 retailing $6k, to transport my 1st grader, shared with his dad, to soccer practice that horrible summer of shelter in place.
It was the highlight of a very depressing time. Since then, I have ridden with him to his YMCA Hub learning every day in the Presidio, on the same cargo bike. Having a bike with assistance in this hilly neighborhood, as you know, is key to getting around. Especially in a pandemic.
We triple-lock it in our shared basement garage- a heavy duty motorcycle lock to a sewage line, I remove the battery and bring it up to the apt, and we use an internal front wheel “cafe lock” that locks the front wheel with a key. I was just returning from visiting family via BART, to find it had been stolen. My son found the sawed off pieces of the actual frame, (the thief didn’t cut the lock… but the bike frame).
We called the non-emergency line. A patrolman (officer Sh — - #1133) got back to us at 1 am, and I woke my son, and we met down in the basement to file the report. He did not take the pieces of lock. He told me I could file more online.
The last I saw of the bike was on Saturday afternoon at 3pm. From our HOA, I requested video surveillance footage, and received it last night (Monday). The bike *did not have a battery* so it’s a very slow moving escape.
Monday morning I quickly added to all the indexes about bike theft, and posted a “stolen” Craigslist report. I was flooded with calls and texts from folks who sent me a photo of the man’s post trying to sell my bike.
One of those posts are still up on OfferUp.
It has countless photos of my bike, including the damage (see circle).
I spoke with a Cenral District (I believe) police officer on the phone with all of this information. Pickup locations that the thief had made with Criaglisters. His phone number- which remains constant.
Another resident saw my helmet near the exit, and we could narrow video tapes. Our housing property manager on Monday afternoon gave me several screenshots, of a man, white-presenting, not too tall, banging around the interior with the bike around 7pm on a Saturday. I ran it over to Central District around 5pm and gave all the information to officer Kimberly W — — . She told me she would file an addition to the report. I noticed the model name was misspelled. (Tern, not Turn) I also had the helmet which the thief had worn and handled in a plastic bag. She didn’t want it and remarked humorously that I had bagged it. I was cowed and didn’t show her the cut pieces from the lock.
I spoke with a Tenderloin police officer to add more information- there were 4 addresses listed in the TL, and they were added to the report. I emphasized that with the inability for this bike to cycle fast, it would be quite “easy-seeming” to set up a meeting and grab the bike. He told me he would add it to the report.
I was trying to get another advertisement for my bike for sale removed from the OfferUp site when their legal team said that they need an officer in charge of the case, not the reporting officer. Tuesday morning, I called Burglary and was told that it was not assigned yet. That it would be assigned tomorrow. That’s already 2–3 days past the original report. I am receiving more texts and messages, of the thief trying to sell my bike.
I can’t get the advertisement taken down.
This morning, I did a reverse phone lookup, and now I know his name, address, last 5 places worked, facebook page, family, etc.I found out he’s a masseur at a spot where me and my partner regularly go.
I ask a few folks who are already texting him to “just return the bike to Joe DiMaggio Playground, and we can let this go.” Hoping that an olive branch will resolve it. He hasn’t responded, and I’m not receiving reports that it’s there (and did a walk by around 4pm).
He is still trying to sell the bike. I’m still receiving texts from concerned citizens that he is still selling the bike.
I realize that there are more pressing things for SF Police to do than follow down private theft issues. Still, it seems like there are a couple of things here:
- This is pretty dead simple- officer calls the number, arranges a meeting, and gets custody of him and bike.
- We are perpetuating a cycle of buy/replace, i.e. “can’t have nice things”
- Trust in the safety in this neighborhood in which I have lived for 17 years is very low
- Due to my high social media presence I’m not the only one watching, and it all seems very impractical and frustrating.
- Is there less importance for bikes? Is SF PD ready to handle — what will be huge- influx of Electric bikes that are more expensive than cars, but don’t “behave” as cars- security systems are different, issues like “no battery” aren’t well understood by police. No suspect can get away quickly on a 70 lbs no-battery e-cargo bike. I can run and catch up to someone on that thing. It’s more like a Flintstones’ car.
I have had two other bikes stolen, but they were not as expensive of course, and I take more “urban living” personal responsibility in why or where they were stolen. My friends know I’m the last one to promote law & order, but this rankles me in its ineffectiveness, and at every turn, the blasé nature or disregard for any kind of responsibility to our things, to processes that make sense, or tools that effectively investigate and return errors. For simply $1, and I found out everything on this suspect with a phone number. Why don’t we expect better? I refuse to think suburbs are “safer.” I feel safe in North Beach, people know me, know my bike, know my kid. I want to believe this is the community that I think it is. Please help me understand.
I have documented this, and more on twitter as @banane.
case # 210 301 600
Thief phone: 415 845 5127 (publicly available)
Name: xxxxx (from reverse lookup)
aliases: Rory Feldal, Roger Giles, D. Damien
Meeting locations from potential buyers: 410 Hyde St, 1015 Market St, 455 Eddy St., *TENDERLOIN POLICE DEPARTMENT*
