"Not my problem."

I was browsing the usual forums this morning when I came across this sorry bit of news:

My locked bicycle was stolen Dec 19 from the rack at 24 Hour Fitness, Hancock Center, and the police, who were in the vicinity and notified of the crime, did nothing to stop it from happening. A witness, who works for a government safety enforcement department in Austin, saw the thief break the lock and steal it from the rack. The witness immediately called 9-1-1. The thief rode off on the bike and the pursuing witness encountered a police officer parked in the vicinity. When the witness notified the officer that a crime was in progress and that he could catch the thief, the officer responded, “I work highway enforcement” and a different district would get the call. The thief rode off with my bike, which is my principal means of transportation.

It’s an outrage that a police officer would fail to pursue a criminal just because he works highway enforcement. If my bike had been a car, I think it’s likely the officer would have acted. That bike may not be worth as much as a car, but it’s the only way I have of getting around and it is a hardship to lose it. I have no doubt that thief will continue to steal other bikes, causing hardship for others. Why was the crime against my property not taken seriously by the police?

First off kudos to the witness for actually doing something and calling the cops. I don't know anything about the witness or the thief so I can't say if trying to tackle the asshole would have been a viable course of action, but calling the cops is imminently better than ignoring it and saying "not my problem."

Unfortunately, our esteemed law enforcement professional on the scene at the time decided to say "not my problem." Since he was a part of HIGHWAY ENFORCEMENT and was not on the highway doing his job, I guess he figured that he had no job to do. WHAT THE HELL DO WE HIRE THESE JOKERS FOR?!? It makes me so sick to hear anyone say "not my job" when it comes to doing something to help someone else out, but it's even worse when we as the public PAY these people to do just that! The world is falling apart due to the complacency of people just like that cop, allowing bullshit to happen because stopping it's "not my problem". What a dick.

Here's a description of the stolen bicycle and the thief, as well as the method of locking used:

Thanks, I appreciate that. Yes, if you park at 24 Hour Fitness, Hancock, I would definitely be vigilant or have a very strong lock. I think the thieves work that parking lot/bike rack a lot. I had a master cable lock with a combination. The bike was a Schwinn Voyageur GS 07. It was burgundy color. The witness saw the guy who stole it and desribed him as a Hispanic man in his mid-30's with short dark hair. He was wearing blue jean shorts and had a short sleeve polo shirt.

I cannot urge people enough, use a U-Lock! Not all U-Locks are created equal, either. Make sure to get one with a flat key, and when locking your bike try to leave as little free room as possible with the lock, so that it's more difficult to get a pry-bar or jack into it. A good way to do this (and to protect your wheel) is to remove your front wheel and lock it to your frame as well. No bike is theft-proof (an angle-grinder will defeat ANY lock), but you can make your bike much more difficult, so that a thief will give up and move on to an easier target.

Finally, I urge everyone that if you see something happening that isn't right, MAKE IT YOUR PROBLEM. Don't be complacent, do the right thing. I know it's a cheezy movie quote, but this line from Boondock Saints really sums up my feelings on the subject: "Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men." Now I'm not saying be a vigilante, but be vigilant! If it were your bike/house/car/whatever you'd want someone else to do something, so start the trend and DO IT YOURSELF. When you do tell me about it, and I'm buying you a beer or two because that shit's dope.