On Friday, April 23, the city of Rensselaer held an auction in front of city hall. Various city departments (cemetery, gas/water/street departments, volunteer fire department, mayor's and building commissioner's offices, police department, park board and utility office) were offering surplus office equipment, tools, and other things. Taking up most space were the bikes from the police department. I was interested in seeing what they had--four bikes were stolen last summer from my garage, and I wondered if any had turned up. I saw one that might have been one of the purloined bikes, but how can you really tell if you do not have a name or number engraved on it?
I was unable to get to the auction when it started, and when I did arrive, it was raining slightly and the bikes had all been sold. The crowd was small and it seemed that the prices were quite reasonable.
What are the chances of ever getting a stolen bike back? A few of those 80+ bikes may have been lost, but most were probably stolen, ridden a short distance, and abandoned. I can see why the police department does not put much effort into solving these thefts--many of the bikes, such as mine, are almost worthless. And how do you identify a bike--within the make, they all look alike.
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