SHMIRA RETRIEVES STOLEN BICYCLE

Tuesday, June 24, 2008 – 11:50am: A Crown Heights resident living on Balfour Place between Lefferts Avenue and Empire Boulevard looked out of his window and noticed two African American males and one female throwing a bicycle over the fence surrounding the backyard of 485 Brooklyn Avenue and then riding off on the bicycle. Acting quickly, the resident called the Shmira hotline and also began filming with his camera. Shmira members responded and one member began reviewing the footage while the others began to canvass the area in search for the bicycle and perpetrators. Within a minute one of the members canvassing noticed a Bicycle, that matched the description sitting on the ramp outside of IS 61/MS 61, the Public School located on Empire Boulevard between New York and Nostrand Avenue. The member communicated his findings over the radio and another Shmira member picked up the witness and proceeded over to the Public School.

Upon arrival the Shmira member noticed a woman standing near the School building on New York Avenue and approached to ask her if she had seen anything. The woman confirmed that she had seen an African American girl with braided hair accompanied by two boys riding the bicycle until the door and leaving it outside on their way in. The description the woman gave matched the original description the witness gave of the perpetrators. One of the Shmira members entered the School to call the School Safety Officers. The School Safety Officers came outside and informed the Shmira members that they had seen someone with the bicycle however they could not recall who it was or where they went. They advised the Shmira members to “just take the bike and go”. After the bicycle was positively identified a Shmira member took the bicycle and returned it to its rightful owner. Later on, the owner of the bicycle called Shmira to thank the members for a job well done.

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