+1-765714.jpg)
 | COLUMBUS CITY COUNCIL MEDIA ADVISORY For Immediate Release: December 4, 2009 For More Information: John Ivanic, (614) 645-6798 |
(Columbus)—Columbus City Councilmember Andrew J. Ginther, chair of the Safety Committee, will introduce legislation that will expand an already successful electronic on-line reporting tool being used by police to track stolen goods taken to scrap metal yards to include pawn shops and other second hand stores.
“This voluntary program is giving our police officers the information they need to find stolen items and arrest those responsible,” said Ginther. “We appreciate business owners who are solid members of the community and have said they want to do the right thing and help fight crime in Columbus.”
Under Ohio Revised Code, pawn shops and similar operations are required to collect certain information on every transaction; such as date and time, name of the individual, amount of the pawn or buy. The proposed ordinance will expand a contract with Leads Online, LLC. enabling pawn shops to electronically report the same information, allowing police to more easily find stolen items if they are sold to a participating business.
“The Leads Online software has greatly increased the efficiency of police officers who track stolen goods and materials,” said Detective Jack Addington of the Columbus Division of Police. “We have moved from scouring thousands of pieces of paper a week to being able to use the program to flag items that we are looking for in a matter of seconds.”
Businesses voluntarily taking part in the expanded reporting program are:
- Lev’s Pawnshop/11 shops
- Central Point Pawnshop
- Cashland/3 shops
- Capital Pawnshop
- Buy Here Sell Here
- Executive Jewelry
- EZ Cash Pawn shop
- Boris Pawn Shop
- Uncle Sam’s Pawnshop
In addition to the businesses listed above, 14 Gamestop locations in Columbus also electronically report transactions to the Leads Online system. Lev’s Pawn Shops have been participating in a pilot electronic reporting program since May, helping police to recover more than $40,000 worth of stolen property. Money to expand the voluntary electronic reporting program will come the Law Enforcement Drug Seizure Fund and not the City’s operating fund.
“We at Lev’s Pawn Shop always strive to be a responsible member of the community,” said John Kinney of Lev’s Pawn Shop. “As a business, we have no interest in buying stolen property and see this program as an opportunity for Lev’s to be a part of a solution, not part of a problem.”
Detective Addington urges all residents to report stolen items to police as quickly as possible. He also urges residents to mark big ticket items, such as TVs and appliances, with an ultra violet pen. Markings can include initials or numbers and will help make it easier for police to identify the stolen items.
-30-
