bike co-op break-in

Well, it took 8 years, but we finally had a break-in at the re-Cycles Bicycle Co-op. Some time last week between the Wednesday and Thursday shift someone got into our shop. They did not pick the lock or kick the door in, but simply punched their way through the drywall right beside the door, and reached around and undid the latch. They then found our cashbox and made off with it. The bikes and tools were left alone, since I guess none of that stuff would fetch very much money, and cash is, well, cash! To add a weird twist, when the volunteer mechanic showed up and discovered the break-in he noticed that the thief had taken our plastic sign off the door and used it to cover the hole! The Police were called, and the sign was taken for fingerprinting, and the officer said they would be investigating.

Fortunately we only lost around $150, so not a huge loss. But still, to think that someone would rob a community non-profit operation is appalling, and we're certainly hoping it wasn't someone who had been in our shop before. Yes, I know that even churches get ripped off, but I still think it takes a low form of life to steal from those that have given a lot to their community (remember that re-Cycles has been run for all these years by volunteers).

But we will not let ourselves get paranoid. The punched-out wall is being reinforced so that method of entry will no longer work, and we will now be emptying our cashbox after each shift. An alarm system and security camera are being considered as well.