Report lost/stolen firearm

[herrwalther]

Sure taking the fingerprint would be highly unlikely to solve this crime, but having it on file would tie them to this crime and give evidence that they are a serial offender that needs real jail time, when eventually caught. That these offenders are not able to be linked to other crimes because of sloth during routine investigations is what makes crime actually pay.

Processing fingerprints is a time consuming process that many departments either a) do not have the capability to do or b) don't want to pay for. Lifting a single print and then isolating it from other casual prints doesn't take 5 minutes like it does on CSI. I have done thousands of digital and inked fingerprint markings. The number of times they have been used is exactly zero. They just sit in a filing cabinet or database and only get pulled when a case is looking weak.

 

[wally]

Processing fingerprints is a time consuming process that many departments either a) do not have the capability to do or b) don't want to pay for. Lifting a single print and then isolating it from other casual prints doesn't take 5 minutes like it does on CSI. I have done thousands of digital and inked fingerprint markings. The number of times they have been used is exactly zero. They just sit in a filing cabinet or database and only get pulled when a case is looking weak.

You didn't read what I wrote there wasn't many prints to process just one obvious one on the door of the glass case.

 

[Jimbo80]

I believe you have to reimburse a pawn shop for the cash they paid for a stolen item. Funny how they always pay top dollar for stolen stuff.

 

[Styx]

I believe you have to reimburse a pawn shop for the cash they paid for a stolen item. Funny how they always pay top dollar for stolen stuff.

That does not sound correct.

 

[WestKentucky]

I reported one lost once. They asked a few very basic questions. They got my info, and the location where I last knew that I had the firearm, and location I first knew I didn’t have the firearm. Since it was a keltec p11 that fell out of my back pocket (pocket gun, pocket clip carry) in the woods the address was the same. They asked for serial number, and estimated value.

 

[WestKentucky]

That does not sound correct.

That is not necessarily correct. It is likely a state or local law that dictates the reimbursement of the pawn shop. I know that in Kentucky roughly 15 years ago a few of my grandfathers guns were stolen and sold at a pawn shop. Police found them and contacted my grandmother. Before any paperwork was completed the sheriffs deputy gave grandma a chance to watch the video that the shop pulled up of the items being sold. It was a member of the family selling the guns, so grandma got 2 options, reimburse the shop what they were out, or lock up a grandchild who was the mother of 2 young kids. I took grandma to the bank, and took her home and she refused to let the guns back in the house. Her instructions were for nobody other than my dad to know what happened or where anything went.

 

[lemaymiami]

That’s the world I learned as a young cop -all those years ago... What you’re told happened and what actually happened might not be very good for anyone involved.

 

[Jimbo80]

That does not sound correct.

It may be a Florida thing. I got that info from the detective that investigated the theft of electronics from my boat. Legal protection for the pawn shop which I can understand. According to the detective it's a law abused with regularity both by the shops and victims with full replacement insurance.

 

[Zahn]

I worked in a pawn shop many years ago, and my point of reference is Kansas laws. Your state might be different.

If the item is related to theft, the pawn shop is out the money. If the item is pawned by fraud, the pawn shop will get their money or keep the item. In other words, an unknown stranger breaks into your house, steals something and then pawns it? The owner gets their item back, and the pawnshop is out the money they gave the criminal. If a near relative steals something from you, and pawns it? You will have to pay in full to recover your item.

The local PD had a detective that visited all the pawn shops in town, at least once a week, and he reviewed every ticket, one by one.

 

[herrwalther]

You didn't read what I wrote there wasn't many prints to process just one obvious one on the door of the glass case.

I did. In my experience, the only time you deal with one fingerprint at a time is making cards. But the boring science of bio identifying forensics is off topic here. My initial point was forensics are rarely done by street police in routine crimes.

 

[Jimbo80]

https://www.thelawman.net/what-happens-when-stolen-property-is-found-at-a-pawnshop/

Looks like they make it cost more than most items are worth to get them back via the legal system.

 

[tws3b2]

The company I worked for got a call from the cops saying they found property at a pawn shop with our company name on it. They asked if we had anything missing. We had not noticed anything missing yet, But yes it was ours. All we had to do was go pick it up. No cost. But, the city cops had a pawn shop patrol. They went from pawn shop to pawn shop checking. Anything funny looking got checked. Moral of the story? Don't live in a city where thefts are so frequent that they have to have a pawn shop patrol. Or, is it, Live in a city that has a pawn shop patrol? Oh, well.

 

[rust collector]

Our city requires copies of all pawn tickets, and co-operates with the shops to reimburse what they paid for property that is stolen. The shop is paid out of a victim assistance fund that is replenished when restitution is received as a condition of probation. Owner gets property back when criminal file is cleared. There is no benefit to anyone for the shop to pay a premium, so the amount in question is usually 25 to 33% of likely resale price.

 

[Jim Watson]

The local pawn - gun shop often had to tell people looking for missing guns, "Show me the police report."

A guy here had a major burglary, they got his guns, stereo, and anything else that looked worth stealing. And set the house on fire to conceal evidence. Fortunately the fire did not take hold and the damage was not great.
He reported it and saw no action by police, so he got a copy of the report with all items listed and visited every pawn shop and gun show within a couple of hundred miles for several years.
He got a very few of his guns back. He would see one at a gun show and go get the police always present at shows. He would show the local police and the vendor the report and demand his gun back.

I got most of my stolen guns back two nights later when the yegg wrecked his stolen car while being chased from an attempted business B&E. The rest after his momma let the investigator look in his room.

 

[SRSTAdam21]

Theft. Report the crime and make the Police come to you. At least you will get a "case number" for your insurance claim. You can expect nothing else. In my case it wasn't guns but electronics, there was a fat juicy fingerprint on the display case that I pointed out, but they were uninterested in investigating any further.

When I lived in Virginia my Camaro was broken into. It was caught on my doorbell cam AND the camera mounted to the side of my house. A backpack was stolen from inside along with some other things. Inside the backpack was a S&W shield. Not only would the police not send ANYONE to review the video footage with clear shots of the people who did it, they seemed like they could not care less a gun was stolen.

 

[swg1]

Theft. Report the crime and make the Police come to you. At least you will get a "case number" for your insurance claim. You can expect nothing else. In my case it wasn't guns but electronics, there was a fat juicy fingerprint on the display case that I pointed out, but they were uninterested in investigating any further.

No kidding, had a house broken into. Big bloody hand print on the inside of the busted window they entered through. Cop says and I kid you not, "The hand print doesn't necessarily mean it was the same person that broke into your house." Let's ignore the blood trail inside the house as well. Not bashing cops at all, but that man was an imbecile.

 

[Double_J]

My story fits the others with the cops not wanting a slam dunk case. A friend had his wallet and a Jennings .380 get stolen by a guy he knows. He reports both as stolen to the local PD, along with the name, address and phone number for the guy who did it. The person used a stolen credit card at Walmart and at a clothing store, with solid beautiful video from both. The cops took a report and NEVER even talked to the person as "no one lost any money" and "they rarely recover a stolen gun."

 

[swg1]

This is all very interesting. Add to it, in Washington, if not reported within five days (despite any inactivity on the part of authorities) you - the victim of the theft are responsible for any criminal usage of the firearm stolen. So I'm on vacation for two weeks and some one breaks into my house, steals firearms and then uses them in a crime, it's my fault. Awesome.

 

[bersaguy]

The number of times they have been used is exactly zero. They just sit in a filing cabinet or database and only get pulled when a case is looking weak.

This was my experience. We had a break in, two handguns were stolen. The sheriff's deputies came out, did a pretty good job of getting that fingerprinting dust everywhere, and collected a fair number of prints in the area that were effected. Then they collected our prints to eliminate ours from what was lifted. I was initially rather impressed. However, about 9 months later, one of the pistols was recovered, I wasn't informed, I just happened to check the FDLE website, and one of the serial numbers was no longer listed. I called the sheriff's office, and sure enough, they had my gun, and I could come and pick it up if I wanted. Guy was arrested after someone reported him for brandishing a firearm, but doesn't look like anyone checked to see if his prints matched any from our apartment, I think the prints that were collected have simply sat in a file never to be seen again. In any event, it was a Bersa 380cc that was recovered, and in such a sorry state when it was, I simply cleaned it up best I could and brought it down to the pawn shop to be sold on consignment. The other one that was stolen was still listed as stolen last time I checked, I doubt it will ever be recovered, and have no interest in having it back if it were.