Crime Log … Thieves are targeting motorcycles and gold necklaces

By Charles Sercombe

          Hey bikers, better lock up your hog.

          The Police Department has received several reports in the last few weeks of the thefts of motorcycles, mostly taken from backyards.

          “It’s one of the few times that we have been hit hard,” said police investigator Mike Stout.

          Stout says he thinks someone, or possibly a ring, is driving around town in a tow truck or flat bed truck and stealing the bikes.

          So far, it’s been mostly older models, bikes from the 1970s and 1980s, that have been targeted.

          Stout said it could be that the bikes are being taken for parts.

          He suggested bike owners take some precautions, such as parking bikes in a garage, if possible, or chaining them up to something secure.

          Residents should also be on the lookout for people cruising the alleys and looking over fences.

          Also being stolen are Mopeds. In an Internet search, it appears that motorcycle thefts are on a decline nationwide, with the exception of California. Hondas appear to be the favorite of thieves.

          In other crime trend news, reports have returned that gold necklaces are being snatched from people who are out walking on the streets.

          Police Chief Max Garbarino was asked about the latest string of reports at Tuesday’s city council meeting.

          “We have a lot of leads on that,” he told the council. “I think that will be breaking up soon.”

          He also noted that police are on top of a break-in crew working the city.

          About the recent crime wave, Councilmember Tom Jankowski noted: “People are scared.”

          Chief Garbarino encourages anyone who sees something suspicious to not hesitate and call 911 immediately.