others: so it is an expensive bike. So what? You might consider that because some people buy expensive bikes, other people have jobs in the bicycle industry.

Crimes small and large need the attention of the police. The fact is the bike thief likely is involved in multiple crimes beyond the one he was caught for. Bike thief's suck and need to rot in jail.

At some point in time you or friend will either have a bike or parts( seat, wheels) no matter how well you care for your rig and price might make some bikes more attractive than others but even beatup old rigs get boosted. I repeat - bike thief's are scum and public flogging should done when caught.

This sentence does not make a lot of sense. If he has a long criminal history, then the DA has already built numerous cases against him, and won them. If they haven't been able to build a case against him until now, then he doesn't have a criminal history.

They haven't been building a case for years, biding their time until they have just the nail in the coffin needed to bring down this criminal mastermind.

Maybe you meant to say that, given his lengthy criminal record, he could likely be on probation and a conviction on this new charge could earn him some jailtime. Sorry for nitpicking.

What world do you live in?

You talk of "desperation" in a way that legitimizes what he did. I'm interested, what type of desperation makes this crime ok? Stealing to feed a child, or stealing to feed a meth habit. The laptop he stole was probably important to the victim and the way he makes his living. Is this ok also?

You talk of empathy, and I would show empathy if this guy was a first time offender and not a guy with a "long criminal record". Why don't you show some empathy for the countless victims of people like this. You act as if this is a victimless crime. What if you were the victim, would you say ahh shucks, talk of his cultural and economic disadvantages, his rehabilitation and value to society and turn the other cheek?

In my experience, I did not wait for the cops to do nothing, I did not write it off to my insurance (especially since I could not afford insurance), I went out and found the bike and the guy who stole it. I have had friends that I helped to get their bikes back by just going out and looking. Most of the time the “desperate” criminals who deserve our empathy are around the neighborhood looking for something else to steal. By taking back what they stole tells them that they are being watched and that we aren’t relying upon the cops or insurance to protect what is ours. In short, that there are real consequences to their actions. Your “empathy” and insurance allows people like this to take root in our neighborhoods like a cancer. Thanks Barney

"Like most larger American cities, Portland did away with bicycle registration years ago."

Portland, at just under 2 million in the greater metro, is hardly a big city. In fact, the same site that told me our population ranks Portland as the 1041st most populous urban area in America. Portland didn't, "do away", with anything. Lack of interest is the current excuse for not providing a registry. Of which there have been dozens, BTW. Bike registration doesn't work. That's why cities don't use it anymore.

So your statement about administrative costs appears to be wrong. Most cities, Portland included, rarely keep programs around that no one uses, and in this case, doesn't really do anything anyway.

Here's an idea. I speak as an expert too. An expert in not getting your bike stolen. As an expert, I advise you to take responsibility for your own actions, and stuff too, and don't leave your bike unattended. I have never once had a bicycle stolen. Never. I have never been inconvenienced by having to take care of this responsibility either.

While Police scour the city for some yuppie's bike, some Mexican lady over in Gateway has to do without her car anymore, 'cause it got stolen too. While police try to recover, "stuff", human beings are being victimized.

A $10 lock on the bike in question would have saved the taxpayers how much money so far? Lock a bike up indoors? You better be, or you'll be looking to spend some of that tax money yourself.

Cops are for crimes. Locks are for bicycles. Oh, and peruse the 6th amendment to our national constitution again you nazis.

Like most larger American cities, Portland did away with bicycle registration years ago. The high cost of administration didn't compute, especially when factored against the relatively low monetary value of most bicycles, and the insurance industry has never been that interested in offering the same protections for bikes that it has offered for cars.

That said, I STILL have the old BTA sticker on my bike, and I have a written record of it, my bike's serial number and the original purchase receipt, all filed in a safe place. You'd be amazed at how few people keep proof of ownership on hand.