they WERE called, by my neighbor. and i filled out a police report, but didnt actually see who stole my bikes. jefferey, why the negativity, so consistently on this site?

as for my neighbor it probably went something like this:
dear new haven police,
could you look for a group of young black kids stealing bikes? they were wearing, you know, tshirts and jeans.

i'm sure they got right on that.

jefferey,

i did not open this issue, i merely added more information to it to make the case stronger against the bike thieves. the person who opened this issue wrote a bit of information, and i added my experience, plus some tips on how to prevent bike theft.
this "personal attack" you mention, where is it? i asked why you are extremely negative on any issue you comment on.

I too had my bike stolen out of my back porch while I was at work on an extremely rainy day. This means they had to go all the way down my driveway and into my house to get my bike. A very unnerving thought.

The NH Police Department non-emergency number is (203) 946-6316, again in case anyone is wondering what number to call for situations that don't require 911; if you see ANY suspicious behavior at all, call that number and talk to an officer. The Police Department does take theft and suspicious behavior seriously and will dispatch an officer to take a report.

Can we have a better description? So far, it's just:

black
children
wearing t-shirt and jeans.

How old (approximately) were the children?
How many of them were there?
What did their hair look like?
Were they walking, cycling, driving?

If we have a better description, we would be better able to take photos of actual suspects, post them here, and have the original poster confirm whether they are the "black kids" who were stealing bikes.

what part of "it probably went something like this" didn't you understand?

Hello,

Please try to remain focused on the issue at hand and keep the bickering at a minimum. Thank you very much for you involvement in trying to get this issue resolved.

Thanks,
TheSeeClickFix team

My 2 bikes were stolen out of my locked garage (which was in the back yard behind the house and had no windows, I might add) last summer at my previous apartment. They kicked the side door in and then forced the garage door open and cut through the bike. I frequently see young men riding one bike and pushing another. From now on I will call police every time I see that.

meant to say "cut through the bike lock"

I live on Lawrence Street and I have actually witnessed a few youth attempting to steal bikes and they were not african american. two of the youth were hispanic and the third was caucasion. I called the police and the youth were apprehended. I think that we all need to just keep our eyes open and report anything suspicious that we may see and NOT call the police everytime we see an african american male with a t-shirt and jeans on riding a bike.

This issue remains a matter of concern for the community.

our bikes were stolen from an INDOOR hallway, as stated above.

this issue was opened by someone to try to alert the neighborhood to a recent spike in thefts, and with more information we could potentially help track down the thieves.

i added some information above to help protect your bikes, as well. you are right that locking up outside is not always the best solution, but you can do it right if that is the only option (like when you are visiting someones house, or your place is too small...)

My neighbor's bike was stolen last summer, and the police did take it seriously and worked with us to recover the bike.

Please let's work together here to keep this a positive site where we can share information to make our neighborhood a better place.

Learn to look after your own belongings! I'm tired of seeing precious police resources going towards rich kids who forget to lock their doors.

2 bikes were stolen from a hallway in my house when the door was locked. I'm tired of seeing precious police resources not going towards finding the jerk who broke into my house.

BTW, how do we know the kids were not from the area? I'll bet a day's pay that thoses kids are indeed from New Haven. The same likely can't be said for most of their victims.

I see these urban bike thieves all the time and have witnessed them stealing. Here is the M.O.: They cruise in small groups on their bikes..the give-away is usually one rider who is hitching a ride on the back wheel lug nuts of another biker. When they spy a bike unattended, the bike "passenger" jumps off and steels the targeted bike- they ride off. I see these groups casing the streets of WESTVILLE frequently. You can watch them visually scanning each house as the slowly drift up and down the streets. Police are aware of these bike rings who take the stolen bikes to local "chop shops" they have in the their local neighborhoods. Why they are allowed to continue preying on communities is anyone's guess. Next time I catch them in the act... it's going to be a bad day for the little punks.

I see this, also, in Westville. 'MY' thief rang my doorbell. When I didn't answer, he walked in my yard and kicked in my garage door. In a matter of seconds, he had cut my lock and rode off. I reported this immediately, and the New Haven police phoned me soon after. They had the bike and brought it back to my house. Nice work!

Is this particular thief still active?

It is possible to make bikes much more theft resistant by using the appropriate types of locking bolts on wheels and seats, and by getting a good bike lock or two.

If the town were to install bike racks on the public right of way, where bikes are more visible, theft would be less likely. Examples include the racks in front of Nica's, along State Street, in front of the house at the corner of Winchester & Webster, or all throughout residential neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon - some of these are even covered to protect from rain.

Bike theft "stings" are also a possibility, and are used in many towns. See http://bikeportland.org/2005/09/09/bike-theft-what-should-we-do-about-it-423 for some ideas.

No complaints of late!