LeadsOnline in TennesseeClarksville Police DepartmentDayton Police DepartmentDeKalb County Sheriff’s OfficeHamilton County Sheriff’s OfficeKnox County Sheriff’s OfficeLa Vergne Police DepartmentMeigs County Sheriff’s OfficeMurfreesboro Police DepartmentOak Ridge Police DepartmentRhea County Sheriff’s OfficeSoddy-Daisy Police DepartmentRutherford County Sheriff’s OfficeLebanon Police DepartmentSource: LeadsOnline
CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Using a paper trail to track a thief selling stolen goods to pawn shops is too inefficient these days, according to the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office.
Following an electronic trail is better, according to Capt. Steve Lawson, who heads the criminal investigation division for the sheriff’s office.
The Bradley County Commission’s Finance Committee is onboard with that idea, too. Members have agreed to include the cost of an electronic tracking system for pawn shops in the next county budget. The amount was $5,890 for a one-year subscription to the LeadsOnline system.
“How much is it worth to get your property back after somebody smashed in your front door and took it?” asked Capt. Lawson.
The Finance Committee made its commitment to the budget because LeadsOnline is offering a free trial period. as well. Between now and July 1, when the 2011 fiscal year begins, the company will provide the service at no charge.
“We needed to go ahead in order to take advantage of that,” said Commission Chairman Louie Alford.
Currently, pawn shop owners file a daily written report describing the items brought to their shops. The reports are collected into a big loose-leaf binder containing a month’s worth of reports.
Each week, a property crimes detective pores over police reports and pawn shop reports, including other types of businesses that deal in second-hand goods, trying to find a match.
It’s a time-consuming task. There is a lot of paper to go through, law enforcement officials said, and sometimes the handwriting can be hard to read.
And the local burglar often goes out of town to Chattanooga or Atlanta or elsewhere before turning stolen property into cash, Mr. Lawson said.
Electrons can go where no paper trail leads, including Internet sites such as eBay and Craigslist, and to businesses and police agencies across the nation that subscribe to an Internet record-and-search system, said Bradley Detective Sgt. Kevin White.
Through LeadsOnline, the Internet search continues automatically for 90 days, he said.
If the full commission agrees to the system, the next step is to pass a resolution requiring pawn shops to take part, said County Attorney Joe Byrd.
Mr. Lawson said taking part will cost businesses nothing. The company will show them how to access the site on the Internet from any computer, he said. Then they simply type in the listings that they used to write out by hand.
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