Recovery!

It has been ten months since my bicycle was stolen.

This morning at 9:00am I got a phone call from the Vancouver Police Department. The detective told me that he had some good news for me. I immediately said My bike!!1! Yes, it was about my bike. Someone had brought my Devinci bicycle into a pawn shop on Hastings street, near the Army and Navy store. Did I want it back?

Yes, I wanted it back. So about an hour and a half later it was delivered to me by the detective. He brought it over in the trunk of his car. Amazing.

The original cranks and pedals are on the bike; I can tell because I removed the reflector on one side of each pedal to install toe clips. The toe clips are gone. The original brakes are on the bike, I think; the MEC cartridge style pads that I had put on the bike just before it was stolen are there. My retractable basket is gone, but the rack is still there. The original rear wheel with original tire is on the bike. And a new, crappy wheel is on the front.

I still can't believe it. I tightened up the rear brake cable, and with a little air in the tires it would be ready to ride. So now I have three bicycles, which is just about the right number, for now.

If only that bike could talk. How many owners has it had? What crazy adventures has it been on for the past ten months?

Let's be careful out there

Vancouver Police Department Media Release

Off-Duty Police Officer Injured in Traffic Collision

2007-10-02

October 1, 2007, 8:00 pm An off-duty member of the VPD was cycling through the intersection of 10th and Highbury when he was struck by a car. The officer was thrown in the air and subsequently landed on the hood of the vehicle.

The officer suffered non life-threatening injuries and is expected to be released from hospital today.

"We find this increase in accidents because roads are slippery at this time of year," said VPD media spokesperson Howard Chow. "We ask pedestrians to take that extra time to cross the street. Motorists, slow down and give yourself time to get to where you have to go."

The police are currently interviewing witnesses to the incident.

I'm not sure the advice given by Howard Chow is helpful. Take that extra time to cross the street? You're better off looking both ways and then running across as fast as you can. That's what I do. Also notable is the lack of specific advice for cyclists.

Asking drivers to adjust their driving to accommodate weather conditions is cute.

Stolen Bicycle Recovered

My stolen bike was not recovered. But take a look at this Vancouver Police Department Media Release:

July 28th, 9:45 a.m.: A bike stolen in Ontario has been recovered in Vancouver after police stopped a man riding his bike on the sidewalk without a helmet. When the serial number was queried in the police database, it turned up as stolen. “This is a perfect example of why it is always a good idea to keep a record of your property’s serial numbers and to advise police when something is stolen,” says Constable Tim Fanning. “Alternatively, you can inscribe your driver’s licence number onto your property, which may make it easier for police to contact you, especially if you aren’t aware yet that something has been taken.”

I wonder if the bike would have been recovered sooner if it had had an RFID tag embedded in it? I think it's pretty amazing that a bike stolen in Ontario is kicking around in Vancouver. I think I might be getting closer to accepting that I'll never see my Devinci again. I wonder where it is right now? Saskatoon?

Quite often these press releases contain phrases like N pounds of cocaine/marijuana were recovered from the vehicle, after it was pulled over for speeding and running stop signs. Note to self: if I am in possession of stolen or otherwise prohibited goods, I will not ride on the sidewalk without a helmet, or otherwise do anything that will draw the attention of the authorities toward me. It's just common sense.

A little over the top

Media release from VPD.ca:

Road Rage Incident
2007-07-12

July 11th, 6:30 p.m. - A Vancouver man is facing charges after a road rage incident in the area of Boundary Rd. and Kingsway. Officers in the area were flagged down by concerned motorists. It started when the driver of a black Audi cut off a pick-up truck. When they were side-by-side at a stoplight, the driver of the pick-up truck yelled at the other driver, who then got out of his car and began punching the driver of the pick-up truck. When the light changed, he got back in his car, but at the next stoplight, he got out and assaulted the other driver again.

Police arrived and arrested Ya Qi Wen, 28, who is now charged with mischief and assault. The driver of the pick-up truck, a 63 year old Vancouver man, suffered minor injuries.

So this 28 year old idiot goes through the whole effort of getting out of his fancy Audi, twice, to beat on a 63 year old man (who understandably expressed his righteous indignation at being cut off by a soon-to-be-confirmed idiot in an Audi), and he only manages to inflict minor injuries. My intuition about the people who drive these fancy cars in Vancouver is confirmed. Pathetic weaklings, every last one of them.

VPD Media Releases

I would post direct/deep links directly to these two particular Vancouver Police Department Media Releases but the ability to do that was removed from the site when it was re-done, to make the site more useful. This was the reasoning I was given months ago when I asked pretty-please if they could let me link directly to a specific media release. It's no accident of implementation, either: they actually check the HTTP Referer [sic] header of all requests.

Anyway, here are two recent VPD Media Releases that caught my eye:

Police Files #07-128997 & #07-129107 - 7-11 Robbery 2007-07-05

July 4th, 11:15 p.m. – A 7-11 clerk working at 2092 E.Hastings was robbed not once, but twice in the same shift. The man paced in front of the store before entering and asking for cigarettes. He returned a few moments later and brandished a knife, demanding money from the clerk.

July 5th, 3:00 a.m. – The same man returned to the store, this time wearing a black t-shirt and a jean jacket. The clerk also noticed a tattoo on his neck. He pulled out the knife and demanded money again.

The clerk told investigators the man was Native or East Indian, in his early 20s, 5’10” tall, with a slim build and short dark hair that was shaved. He has a dark goatee and was wearing a white t-shirt and baggy blue jeans in the first robbery.

Police File #07-130693 - 7-11 Robbery 2007-07-06

July 6th, 4:20 a.m. – The same clerk has been robbed by the same man for the third time in just over 24 hours at the 7-11, 2092 E.Hastings St. The suspect produced a knife again, demanding money and then fled on foot.

The clerk told police the man was East Indian, 25 years of age, 6’ tall , with a thin build. He has a tattoo on the back of his neck and a small goatee and was wearing a long-sleeved jean shirt, jeans and a dark blue ball cap with a white logo on it.

To view these on the VPD web site, you must follow these steps:

1. To to http://vpd.ca
2. Click on media in the horizontal black navigation bar area.
3. Click on Daily Media Briefing Summaries in the vertical navy blue navigation blob on the left-hand side of the page. I can supply no link because it is magical un-linkable Javascript [spit].
4. Choose the appropriate day from the giant block of dates that is not organized by month, or at all really. Those hyper-links are also un-linkable Javascript.
5. Now click on [Click here to find out more] under the media release that interests you. Do not try to open the media release in a new window or tab, because those links are actually phony Javascript links.

The new and improved VPD Media website is most definitely a failed redesign.