LENOIR CITY, Tenn. - An East Tennessee sheriff's department is using an online system to search for suspects and track stolen property both locally and nationally.
The Loudon County Sheriff's Department has added LeadsOnline, a system that searches secondhand stores, scrap metal dealers, pawnshops and Internet stores like eBay.
Sheriff Tim Guider told The Knoxville News Sentinel that the system equips criminal investigators with the ability to solve crimes instantly and to return goods to their rightful owners.
Property can be searched using serial numbers, a suspect's name and item descriptions, among other information, according to the release. Most searches are completed within seconds.
Guider said LeadsOnline allows the automatic collection of information from businesses each day.
Guider described it as the "largest online investigative system of its kind" around the country.