By Austin Pollack
December 8, 2018
PHILIPPI, W.Va (WDTV) – It’s the season of giving, but also the season of stealing.
A warning for you that you’ve heard over and over again — lock your doors and protect your valuables. Philippi Police say there’s a way for you to track your belongings in case something is stolen. Perhaps — a system they use could help you get it back.
“I always say put your wallet in your front pocket because we do have some pick pockets out there,” said Chief Jeff Walters.
Philippi Police has partnered with Leads Online. This helps you keep an inventory of your property and if it’s stolen, it can actually be entered into a system.
“You can log your property with this system, with serial numbers, photos, descriptions, and basically that information will be kept in a secure place,” Walters said.
You can enter anything from handguns with the serial numbers or any other valuable. Walters says having the serial number can increase the chances of actually getting your stolen property back, especially though the help of the system.
“With this system also, once it’s reported into the system as being stolen, it will go out to every pawn shop, every scrap yard, a bunch of law enforcement agencies all over the nation,” Walters said.
“We’ve already had one real good success story being able to recover a stolen firearm clear in Arizona,” he added.
Walters says when something stolen is entered into the system, it will scan pawnshops and other places that may input the inventory they receive. It can also help different law enforcement agencies connect for the benefit of the public.
“I got an e-mail from the company and it told me it was in a pawn shop at such and such place.It gave me a law enforcement contact if I wanted to have somebody go there and check it for me,” Walters said.
If you want to learn more, check out the Philippi Police Department Facebook Page.
Source: https://www.wdtv.com/content/news/Philippi-Police-urge-citizens-to-use-system-to-track-personal-inventory–1.html