Software Aids Fight Against Tulsa Thieves Who Pawn Stolen Items

Tulsa Police are going hi-tech in the fight against thieves who pawn stolen items. A new software program notifies them immediately when that happens. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.businesswatch.ca/default.aspx?DN=145,129,67,Documents" target="_blank">Business Watch International</a>

Tuesday, February 16th 2010, 10:25 pm

By: News On 6


By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK – Tulsa Police are going hi-tech in the fight against thieves who pawn stolen items. A new software program notifies them immediately when that happens.

So how does it work?

  • Someone breaks into your house and steals your TV.
  • You file a police report and give them the TV's serial number. 
  • Police enter that serial number into the database and so when someone tries to pawn it, they immediately get a hit.

"They have descriptions, fairly good descriptions, of things," said Glenna Slaight, a burglary victim.

Glenna Slaight is searching craigslist for her jewelry, which was stolen from her home two days before Christmas. 

Since jewelry doesn't have serial numbers, she realizes she'll probably never get it back and she's out her investment. What hurts most are sentimental items.

"They took memories. Somebody said at least they didn't steal your car. I said I'd give them my car if they'd give back my jewelry and get back my memories -- my dad's ring that's been passed down four generations, the ring he gave my mom on their wedding, World War II stuff," said Slaight.

Slaight feels it's too easy for criminals to steal and sell items. 

Police say software by Business Watch International is making it harder for people to pawn items that have serial numbers. 

The pawn shops must give police the serial numbers of items they receive and the software compares those numbers to the ones victims give police.

"Day one we used this, we found a guy who pawned 20 GPS units at nine different stores, all with different serial numbers," said Sgt. Brandon Watkins, Tulsa Police Burglary Unit.

Police say the software helps them catch thieves, helps victims get their property back and saves pawn shops from paying out money for an item that's later confiscated by police. 

If citizens enter their serial numbers directly into the HomeWatch section of the website, police could know your stuff has been stolen before you even file a police report.

"Your house gets burglarized and you're off exploring the wild. We'll know it's stolen before you will because it will pop up as a suspicious transaction because it says it belongs to so and so, but so and so pawned it," said Sgt. Brandon Watkins.

Slaight is for anything that makes life harder on criminals.

"They're just getting brazen and it's epidemic," said Slaight.

Of course, the fancy software doesn't work if you don't take a few minutes to write down your serial numbers. If you want to enter them straight in the Business Watch International website, that's even better.

Business Watch will even assign serial numbers to items that don't normally have them, like jewelry. 

And, as Slaight learned the hard way, if you have sentimental jewelry, don't keep it in your jewelry box, either hide it or put it in a safe.

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