Low return on investment, but zero risk of punishment means big incentive to steal bikes.
Old but recently got some attention on Reddit.
Video: Guy catches thief cutting the lock on his bike. The thief threatens battery, victim calls for help but nobody — including the security guards — lifts a finger. 🙁
Not only that, the private security bike patrol guy blames the victim for not locking his bike at an approved correct bike parking location.
The Santa Cruz Police Department has recovered ten bikes that were believed to have been stolen in the last month. The bikes were recovered during various theft investigations. Investigators are in the process of inventoring the bikes but wanted to get the basic information out there in case the public could identify their missing bike.