This is all predicated on the fact that police and passersby care about a bike being stolen. My experience in San Francisco has shown this to not be true.
* What kind of thief wants their theft to be video recorded?
* What kind of thief wants a loudspeaker blaring to everyone about their thievery?
* What kind of thief wants to risk getting covered in paint?
Bike 'chop shops' operate in the open, disassembling stolen bikes outside the many tents that line the streets in the Mission district. Here's a good article on the problem: http://archives.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/fighting-sfs-mob...
Thieves will use 'angle grinders' to cut bike locks in broad daylight, on busy streets. Here's an example video: https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/4fcy9y/sparks...
These bikes have an uphill battle before they will survive unmolested in San Francisco, particularly the SOMA/Mission area. I wish them luck!
Thieves are smart and opportunistic. They're less inclined to steal a bike if they know it is being tracked. SFPD in fact have used "bait bikes" on occasion.
Go ahead and keep your attitude of smug resignation, that's entirely your right. I refuse to believe that nothing can be done to combat this rampant problem!
A better approach would be to have locks which open for the users. If the user does not lock up the bike and it is stolen, bam, they get hit with the $1500+ fee to replace the bike just like the existing bike sharing systems.
Locked bikes can still be stolen, but it is a giant leap ahead of just leaving them laying around.