Orange County authorities this week touted the success of a novel effort to get e-bikes \u2014 which they have characterized as a dangerous and deadly weapon \u2014 off the streets. <\/p>\n
The Orange County district attorney\u2019s office on Sunday held an e-bike buyback event modeled after gun buyback programs, in which people could trade an e-bike for a gift card ranging from $200 to $1,000 depending on the type of e-bike surrendered. The event, which authorities believe is the first of its kind in the U.S., drew both massive lines and criticism from some people online.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe budgeted over $100,000 for this [and] we didn\u2019t think in our wildest dreams we would hit that number,\u201d said Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer. <\/p>\n
Kimberly Edds, a spokesperson for the district attorney\u2019s office whom Spitzer credited with coming up with the concept, estimated that nearly 1,000 vehicles \u2014 including e-bikes, e-scooters and e-motorcycles \u2014 were surrendered in total, filling up nine 26-foot U-Haul trucks. Even after authorities ran out of gift cards, people continued giving up their e-bikes, she said.<\/p>\n
The office intends to have an environmental contractor remove the lithium batteries, which it says will be properly disposed of. The bikes will then be taken to a recycling center and shredded, according to Edds. <\/p>\n
The first person in line arrived at midnight Sunday, according to Spitzer, and the last gift card of the day went to a father-son duo who told him they began waiting in line at 7:30 a.m. The event started at 10 a.m., and the first 75 participants got a pair of tickets to a Los Angeles Angels baseball game. <\/p>\n
The gift cards were paid for with asset forfeiture funds reserved for crime prevention. Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley contributed another $5,000. <\/p>\n
The program was the subject of some online criticism, including that it was a waste of resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seemed like a big waste of government money, but I do feel bad for the people who stood in line for nothing,\u201d wrote<\/a> one Reddit user on the gift cards running out. <\/p>\n \u201cJust like gun buybacks, \u2018no questions asked\u2019 buybacks are meant to incentivise criminals or those with illegal bikes to get rid of them,\u201d said another, adding, \u201cThis is a performative action.\u201d (Spitzer said bikes that had a serial number on them were run through databases to ensure they hadn\u2019t previously been reported as stolen.)<\/p>\n Spitzer acknowledged the blowback in an interview with The Times.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m getting lit up on Nextdoor, and I\u2019ve been responding to people,\u201d said Spitzer, noting that much of the criticism focused on whether the program was a good use of funds \u2014 to which he would respond that the money came from asset forfeiture funds \u2014 and whether the bikes being surrendered could have been stolen.<\/p>\n