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Somebody was stealing bikes, scooters and trailers in Cambridge and stashing them near the BU Bridge, police say
By adamg on Fri, 06/09/2023 - 12:39pm
Cambridge Police report finding a cache of "at least 14 stolen bicycles (standard and electric), parts, trailers, a moped, scooters, license plates, a soccer net and tools" near the BU Bridge Wednesday night.
A police spokesman said no arrests were made and that the investigation continues. Also:
Five residents, who are unhoused and were living in an encampment, were identified. They had no warrants and were offered resources for shelter and food.
Police say all the items have been secured at police headquarters, to await being claimed by owners.
If you or someone you know has had their bicycle or property stolen recently, and you have a serial number or any unique identifying information, please call Detective Ciriello at (617) 349-7726.
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Comments
"Identified" but not charged
"Identified" but not charged with a crime? Why?
You have to prove a connection to the crime
Simply being homeless and being near stolen items isn't enough proof that you had anything to do with the thefts.
I thought that's why there's
I thought that's why there's a crime of Receiving Stolen Property: so they can arrest someone who's in possession of a stolen item, even if nobody saw that person doing the stealing.
Maybe
But, and I'm not trying to be obnoxious, you still have to prove they were in possession of the items. Simply standing or even sleeping next to a bunch of bicycles might not be enough proof to warrant arrest, let alone prosecution.
Um.......
I'm going to lowball here and say that there have been at least 1,000 bikes stolen in the Cambridge/Boston/Brookline area in the past year and brought to the homeless campsite under the BU bridge. I wonder what happened to make the Cambridge PD to go down there and try to get the bikes and return them?
Someone made a complaint
There was a Reddit thread recently where a guy with an AirTag on his ebike tracked it to the tent there and basically went in and took it back but also called Cambridge PD who told him it was a State Police issue because it was DCR property. When DCR or State cops came out they basically did absolutely nothing.
So the person went on Reddit to see what to do next. I'm guessing enough people complained to Cambridge PD to get them to clear out the encampment.
That’s great! Who knew
That’s great! Who knew complaining on the Internet would result in improvements to the city?
I see
Is it cleared out yet? My understanding of that place is that the police let them do whatever they wanted as long as the people there let the cops in whenever they ask to come in so they can look for stolen goods or investigate a sexual assault (the drug use is ignored as long as the cops can go in for the other stuff). The bikes that are stolen usually go in and are removed (chopped up and sold) very quick. Maybe the guy who stole this batch of bikes got caught up on some recreational activities offered there and missed out on the exchange.....
No idea
I saw the Reddit thread. That's it.
It’s a disgrace.
They should be offered housing then gently moved along if they refuse.
Housing where?
Housing where?
... and "gently moved along"
... and "gently moved along" where?
Go down and ask them
They like it there. Besides some cold winters there are actually some nice camps down there.
I mean
who wouldnt like to camp on the charles? On summer mornings at dawn on a clear day its absolutely breathtaking.
To your other post. Good to see MSP doesn't move them along nor care about the drug use. They want to go after the violent crime issues. Which I gather that camp has little issues with if MSP don't 'move them along'.
If my Google Maps spying is correct, this is a pretty 'remote' area. Remote meaning, not really near anything or where people would be. And you need to want to go there to be there. Its next to the onramp to overpass to Mem drive, in a wooded area. Streetview has some of the trail, and in a few shots you can see a faint tent or two in the woods. (seen here) You'd never know this was there unless you looked.
Why no arrests? The police
Why no arrests? The police themselves said the bikes are stolen property, and the value has to be several thousand dollars considering the cost of an e-bike.
I would hope the police check the serial numbers against reported stolen bikes and contact the owners, rather than depending on people to see this post.
The investigation continues
As it says in the original post. Police can't just round up "the usual suspects," at least not without more evidence, which is why they're still investigating.
There are 50 people living there...
And no way to prove who stole the bikes. Also my experience that probably less than 10% of stolen bikes have serial numbers that come back to an actual owner. But most of the stolen bikes are older or not worth much as well.
If they wanted to...
All they'd have to do is sit on the spot and watch the guy come and go on his motorized scooter with the trailer on the back that he loads the bikes onto.
I realize it's not busting murders, but it wouldn't be hard to shut down the property theft that the spot has become known for.
The thing about bikes
They might not be worth much for resale but for a lot of people they are their primary transportation. Stealing their bike makes life measurably worse in ways many other thefts won't. It's not a victimless crime and it's not something written off or covered by insurance like many other thefts. (Not to say other theft is OK either, but the resale value isn't a good metric for bikes.)
If the police can gather incriminating evidence and make an arrest, they should. The crime should be prosecuted.
I completely agree!
I completely agree!
I've seen how awful a bike theft is to someone who relied on their bike to get to school and work.
Yes, sadly bike theft is
Yes, sadly bike theft is considered trivial by much of law enforcement and the general population.
It’s even worse with Blue Bikes. One can ride the Boston portion of Mass Ave and spot a dozen of them that were clearly stolen (busted parts, loaded with personal items, repainted etc.) Those who steal them never have to worry about any consequences. Yet we are all paying for it since Blue Bikes ($1200 each) are the property of the member cities -AKA taxpayers. I don’t think it would be the same if I was to walk down the street with a stolen park bench or street sign.
Fwiw
someone who steals bikes can get arrested 25 times for stealing bikes without going to jail. 100% of them are heroin addicts (fentanyl addicts now)
It’s about time!
This has been going on for a long time and complaints have been disdained by the police.
Squeaky wheels are maybe finally getting some grease?