Had the owner checked the lost and found listings, he or she would have gotten the bike back right away. Had the owner gone to the police at any point in the past three months, the bike would have been returned. Had the owner registered the bike with the police in the first place, he or she would have had it back even sooner. When the owner found the bike on the back of my car, he or she could have easily left contact information or snapped a photo of the bike with my license plate and taken it to the police to found out how to reach me to get the bike back – because it was registered as recovered property.

In the end, I’m glad that the bike has been “reclaimed.” Hopefully, it’s back with its rightful owner. But please, in the future, know that with proper research, you would find there are many ways to look for your stolen property and ways to get it back that do not involve cutting a bike lock (I don’t think I’ll be getting that $25 back) and jeopardizing the safety of someone else’s property.

Beth Poole

Durango