Police handling of Dirt bikes in Baltimore

[BunduBasher]

seizure with due process, now that's a joke. I did some work for a company which works with and sells seized assets, and good luck to you if you get your goods back. There was a case where a charter company lost their jet because they had a drug dealer on board with his drugs, if you give a friend a ride, and he has on him stolen goods, or drugs, say bye bye to your car, it is going to take you one hell of a struggle to get it back. The company which owned the jet eventually got it back, but the owner had to pay huge legal fees as well as storage costs.

So how does one define an illegal bike - I go get my kid a pee-wee 50, no title, no registration. If this bike is within city limits, it is considered an illegal bike, and open to confiscation. This is one slippery slope if you ask me ! :think:

 

[zcookie49]

Look, I live near the city and work in this city.
Law abiding citizens, IMO, aren't affected by this. A friend of mine lives within the city lines and stores his bike there. Heck, there are 2 CYCLE dealerships in the city!!!!>
here is the problem. you walk outside a 7-11 and see a guy doing a wheelie up the main street in the city on a CR80 with no helmet on, in the oncoming lane, with no regards.
The majority of the bikes are 80cc 2 strokes with adult/teens on them running crack. They like the smaller ones because they are easier to manuever and you can pull them into a row home.
I was at the one cycleshop almost 2 years ago and the salesman was telling me how these guys would come in and buy a CR80 in $10's and $5'2 CASH, leave riding it out. Later get the bike confiscated, then came back the same day and bought another one, CASH.
I have also spoke to a detective at the Baltimore CIty Impound Yard about the bikes about a year ago. Years ago, they used to auction the bikes off in the past. Problem became when same city folk bought the bikes at the auction and used again for the same thing. The police started to notice the same vin# sold was later brought back in for being impounded.
I wanted to buy bikes cheap at the auction, fix them up, and either sell them, or have an extra bike or two on hand for non riders who I could let borrow sometimes. ... Police said a year ago about shipping them off to thirdworld countries, but they are still sitting there.
.
I would venture to say that most of these guys buying and riding these bikes in the city dont even have a clue about motocross, or even use the bike for its designed purposes... Its totally common to see them wheeling them down the street, bald back tires.
.
Which leads me to an unrelated question, what about these dang moto-skooters all over the place. I'll post a flame on that.

 

[Rcannon]

So....the police were never after the hoest folks....Drug running on bikes? Wow.

 

[extrememoto]

Now it all makes sense...if you have the own the bike, don't break the law you are ok...knew there was more to the story...Still think they should auction the bikes to fix up and resell to a honest citizen though.

-dc

 

[jmics19067]

I still like the idea of the bikes go free and the authorities keep the drug dealers

 

[BSWIFT]

Originally posted by Jaybird
Heck, Jay...look at CA!

Point made and accepted.:debil:

 

[mxer842]

they should fix em up and slap some police graphics on there and use them to catch the little buggers.

 

[zcookie49]

Actually, I have seen 3 cops riding around on older model Suzuki DRZ350's for pursuits.
.
Today I ran into an old friend who happens to be a Baltimore City Cop. I asked him about all of this.... He said they have outlawed dirtbikes in Balto City, meaning, if you are riding it in the city illegally, they will impound it. They arent going to bother law abiding citizens who live in the city and store their bike in the city, or anyone trailering their bikes in/out of the city. They just want to get the kids riding dirt bikes off the city streets.... Heck, it is also ILLEGAL for the police to Pursuit Chase someone on a dirt bike in the city.
Basically, if you are sitting on a bike, (turned off) in the city, and they know you have been riding it, they are going to take it... Nothing new really and the people are breaking the law anyway.
.
I also asked him about the bikes at the impound lot, still nothing done with them and unsure if or when they will be shipped out.... What a shame, normally the city would love to make the money off of the bikes by auctioning them off. Must go to show you that the problem is pretty bad.(accident fatalities and drug running).
BTW, now the drug runners can buy small or large scooters and ride them around, the cop verified that all you need is a drivers license or moped permit.

 

[motometal]

why don't they sell them to someone with the agreement that they will be removed from the area?  I'm sure there's decent money to be had there compared to giving them to the Zambanians.  They will probably just end up in the hands of ivory (or monkey ear) smugglers anyway.

 

[James]

Regardless of the intention of the law, it is written in such a manner that the people who aren't thieves and drug dealers aren't exactly protected from those who don't know the intention of it. The law will be on the books long after the original intention of it has been forgotten.

In simple terms, if you are sitting on your bike in your driveway after running the engine or taking a loop or two in your 1 acre back yard to warm it before changing the oil...should they be able to take it? I'd say no. Based on this law can they? Absolutely!!

 

[jboomer]

I agree, it's not whether they enforce it NOW, eventually something will change and so will their priorities.

 

[jaction125]

I know there are people on this board who have church groups that offer riding to less fortunate kids, why not try to get them donated to groups like that? May be a bit of a stretch but it'd definitely be a worthy cause, and it would get the bikes out of Baltimore. I know here in Chicagoland Catholic Charities runs somethin like this.

 

[Peer Lovell]

I was in Baltimore when this story broke. The city has over 500 bikes in a compound. Big groups of drug runner were using dirt bikes in the city and in parks to run drugs so they could get away from the cops.
The bikes in the compound were confiscated from convicted drug pedlars. There is no law against owning a bike in the City, only against using one.
Sounds pretty fair to me.
Actually, sending the bikes to Africa was justs some politician's idea. They since found out that they have no legal right to do this. So the bikes sit, and sit and sit outside in a fenced compound.

 

[ScottS]

Where is the AMA on this ?

 

[extrememoto]

Originally posted by ScottS
Where is the AMA on this ?

Why would the AMA be involved in this? The police are legally impounding the bikes that are used for drug running, not ever private citizens bikes. Think the AMA has better things to do, like outright bans on riding areas and private property violations. Not defending the drug dealers bikes. Read the all the posts to bring yourself up to speed not just the first one. Think they should do something with the bikes, like auction them or give to a church charity group for rides for the less fortunate kids.

 

[ScottS]

I guess I was not specific enough , sorry- please don't assume what I have read and what I haven't.

I thought the AMA should be interested not in the fact that the bikes are being taken from drug runners ( I did read every last post in this thread) which would make sense, but that most of these bikes are more than likely stolen from law abiding people who do not live in the city, befeore they get used to run drugs or break the law etc - where do they come from ? and who do they belong to ? And how do they get returned to the rightful owners ?

Wouldn't it make sense if the AMA had a listing of bikes stolen ( they publish stolen bikes every month in their magazine but I am not sure how they get the info and I am sure it is just a fraction of the bike s actually stolen ) that they could comapre these bikes to that list and figure out how a bike stolen in Atlanta ends up in Baltimore ? Why aren't the people who posesss these bikes charged with posession of stolen property ?

If these were cars i think the police would do more to try to find the owners .

Because these bikes are stolen from an area who knows how big, a national group like the AMA has a better chance of reuniting a bike in baltimore with an owner in Georgia than the Baltimore police department does.

The discussion of sending them to Africa or crushing them makes no sense to me at all.

 

[zcookie49]

From what I would gather, most if not all of the bikes are bought by the drug runners with their "Bling money", not being stolen. Stolen bikes can be returned if you file a police report. Majority of the bikes are picked up when they are ditched while in pursuit. The criminal usually blows off the fact they lost their bike when they can go buy another, why get into trouble because you went to the impound yard to try and get your bike back, just go buy another... that is the mentallity.
I ride by the lot several times a week and peek in there. the original gated area is packed full of bikes, overspilling into a general lot. tons of bikes and atvs.
Somebody told me that they know some people down there and that you could get a bike pretty easy from the lot. I dont find that source too credible though.

 

[ScottS]

Thanks cookie for the local info- i had suspected if there was a large black market for hot bikes that enterprising individuals would be tempted to go out of the area, heist a few bikes and drive them back to Baltimore- a grand for a hot cr250 is better than 5500 for a new one , isn't it ? Where can a couple of teens go and steal 2-3 bikes a week and make 2-3 grand profit ? Hell I bet they would drive to atlanta or any other big metro area- follow some guys home from the riding areas, boost the bikes and head back up to baltimore- if they can sell 2-3 a week they could make a living. In the meantime I imagined some poor guy in Atlanta wondering where his bike is while it rots in impound in baltimore. That was what pissed me off- here we have a large population of bikes used for criminal purposes, could all of them be purchased new ?

If they are purchased locally, wouldn't it suck to be a Honda Dealer in the city- You know what your customers are going to do with the bikes- and when you see the same guys come in twice a month to buy bikes wouldn't you feel like you are aiding crime somehow ?

Oh yeah- lets send them to Africa so they can be used as mobile assualt vehicles or to run drugs there.

 

[extrememoto]

Originally posted by ScottS
I guess I was not specific enough , sorry- please don't assume what I have read and what I haven't.

I thought the AMA should be interested not in the fact that the bikes are being taken from drug runners ( I did read every last post in this thread) which would make sense, but that most of these bikes are more than likely stolen from law abiding people who do not live in the city, befeore they get used to run drugs or break the law etc - where do they come from ? and who do they belong to ? And how do they get returned to the rightful owners ?

Wouldn't it make sense if the AMA had a listing of bikes stolen ( they publish stolen bikes every month in their magazine but I am not sure how they get the info and I am sure it is just a fraction of the bike s actually stolen ) that they could comapre these bikes to that list and figure out how a bike stolen in Atlanta ends up in Baltimore ? Why aren't the people who posesss these bikes charged with posession of stolen property ?

If these were cars i think the police would do more to try to find the owners .

Because these bikes are stolen from an area who knows how big, a national group like the AMA has a better chance of reuniting a bike in baltimore with an owner in Georgia than the Baltimore police department does.

The discussion of sending them to Africa or crushing them makes no sense to me at all.

 

[extrememoto]

Originally posted by ScottS
I guess I was not specific enough , sorry- please don't assume what I have read and what I haven't.

I thought the AMA should be interested not in the fact that the bikes are being taken from drug runners ( I did read every last post in this thread) which would make sense, but that most of these bikes are more than likely stolen from law abiding people who do not live in the city, befeore they get used to run drugs or break the law etc - where do they come from ? and who do they belong to ? And how do they get returned to the rightful owners ?

Wouldn't it make sense if the AMA had a listing of bikes stolen ( they publish stolen bikes every month in their magazine but I am not sure how they get the info and I am sure it is just a fraction of the bike s actually stolen ) that they could comapre these bikes to that list and figure out how a bike stolen in Atlanta ends up in Baltimore ? Why aren't the people who posesss these bikes charged with posession of stolen property ?

If these were cars i think the police would do more to try to find the owners .

Because these bikes are stolen from an area who knows how big, a national group like the AMA has a better chance of reuniting a bike in baltimore with an owner in Georgia than the Baltimore police department does.

The discussion of sending them to Africa or crushing them makes no sense to me at all.

I agree.ScottS..should list with the AMA under stolen bikes...Probably, if they sold and later on was reported stolen by the owner, might cause a bind for the police dept...could that be why they keep them? Prevent a future lawsuit? I agree the police should do more to contact the last registered owner of the machine, but probably put on the backburn...like the guy who shot my dog over the track?

 

[WM3racer]

Originally posted by zcookie49
Actually, I have seen 3 cops riding around on older model Suzuki DRZ350's for pursuits.

I was riding once at bloody ponds, i have family here and i just moved here as well. It was on vacation last year. well i had just gotten there and was having trouble starting my bike (2001 CR125) just bought it maybe 6 weeks old. Well i had changed the spark plug for the second time and had forgotten that in order for the bike to run i'd have to put it back on. brain fart. I didn't even have the bike off the choke circuit when the cops rolled in, they had two RM250's and a DR350 chasing all of us around. It was crazy. I just let my bike warm up and run to burn off the condensation and waited for them. Good citizen i am haha. No actually i had two people walking with me so i couldn't run. Anyways, they checked the VIN's and made sure none of the bikes were stolen, had a Jeep come in with a trailer for one guys RM which happened to be a hot bike. I was allowed to ride it out to my truck and load everything up and leave with no problems, even with my illegal tint! wasn't bad i lucked out i think.