This sounds like a great idea. The population of the metro area I live in is over 6million people. Let's just say there's more than one or two pawn shops in town. I'm not sure it's as easy as you guys are proposing. (to share, I don't live in Socal like the OP here but I do live in a large metro area that sees similar population obstacles that this all presents.)
Good ole fashioned police work sounds good but in today's world with battling drug cartels and the reluctance of the police to bother with such small offenses (small to them, not necessarily to the crime victim), it doesn't happen. I've had the police flatly turn me down because they have bigger fish to go after. And while I'm not ready to divulge too much of my info, I'll share that I'm a mid/upper class homeowner in a (...somewhat...I guess?) influential area. If I can't get any police response, what kind of police action would be done for someone who is in a lower rent area?
I'm not refuting your ideas or support of this. I'd love to see it and wish it would happen. But unless you live in Mayberry and have Sherriff Andy Taylor on your side, it's unlikely.
Here in MN pawn shops are required to participate in a database where they enter what they buy, including a photo of the seller and their ID. They then hold the property for a period of time so the police have a window to reclaim it if it is stolen. So checking pawn shops is as simple as an online search.
The problem is that without a serial number it's hard to differentiate one tool from the 20 others pawned. And I don't doubt there are shady pawn shops that "mistype" the serial number or are vauge on the description they enter because any reclaimed property is revenue lost for them. When the same guy comes in every other day pawning 5 brand new Milwaukee power
tools for $40/each you can't tell me that employee doesn't suspect theft.
I consider myself lucky that I live in a suburb where calls for service is low enough that they still have the resources to pursue thefts like this. I know in the bigger cities like Minneapolis/St Paul they just don't have time or personel to get to every call. Most low-level stuff like this won't even get a response and you go online and file a "report" so the insurance is happy.
I've heard of even bigger cities where they are spread so thin and crime is so high that when an officer starts their shift there is already a ton of calls in pending for a response and after a 12 hour shift of going from call to call they haven't even made a dent in it.
I also know that there are politicians who seem to think the answer is reducing punishments and releasing "low-level" offenders. There is nothing more frustrating for an officer than catching someone for a crime, even in the act, and then a month later seeing that they gave a sob story in court (if they even bothered to show up) and were given 3 months probation because they promised it wouldn't happen again, even though their criminal history is 20 pages long with arrest after arrest for the same damn thing.
So I totally understand the frustrations here with little to no response or even being turned away. Just keep in mind that it's not usually the officers decision (although there are lazy and burnt out cops out there). A lot of times there just are not the resources for pursuing "low level" crimes, even though I'd guarantee that turd who stole the blower is involved in a bunch of other stuff. Probably steals mail to cash fraudulent checks as well.
I'll get off my soapbox now. I don't mean to turn this into politics or anything. Just keep in mind that most (but I understand not all) officers are just as frustrated as everyone else. Especially during this COVID pandemic where jails are turning nearly every arrest away.. but that's another matter.
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