Local Hero

We knew he was a rock star in the blogger world, but didn't know he was a super sleuth as well. Check out the front page in today's WaPo, for the article about our neighbor Martin Moulton and how he recovered his stolen bike.

This is a cautionary tale about an all-too-frequent crime in our neighborhood: bicycle theft. It's not life-threatening and there are lots worse things that go on around here, but it's one of those things that adversely affects the quality of life in Shaw. (And a reason that I haven't upgraded my piece-of-sh*t 70s-era Chinese bike.)

Sounds like Martin's happy ending was the result of a combination of luck, persistence, and getting help from one of the best cops in the city: Mike Smith. Most people aren't so fortunate. I thought it was ironic that the article states that "police say most bike thefts go unsolved because many victims do not report the crimes or have unregistered bikes." With all due respect, I doubt that the police usually make much of an effort to solve these crimes even if they are reported. (As seems to be the case for "theft from auto", the most frequently reported crime in this and neighboring PSAs.) This may have something to do with why bike thefts are not reported. Nicholas McKenna's story, also reported in the Post story is a case in point.