Database helping law enforcement agencies track down stolen property

The Randolph County Sheriff’s Department said investigators made progress in a nearly year-long stolen firearm case Thursday.

Sheriff Mark Nichols said the gun was reported stolen from a home in rural Renick in October 2015.

“When you have burglaries or thefts especially close to the county line, a lot of times the suspects are from other counties and we have no knowledge of them, so it is difficult to develop suspects,” he said.

The department was notified Thursday by a database system calledLeads Onlinethat the gun was pawned at a pawnshop in Columbia. In March, the department received a $2,000 donation from Moberly’s Walmart Distribution Center to help purchase the program.

“It connects us with a majority of the pawn shops across the state,” Nichols said.

Missouri law requires sellers to provide some form of ID with their picture and current address to pawnbrokers. Pawnshops will then record the information and the transaction by either writing it down or entering it into a database that coordinates with law enforcement.

Many other mid-Missouri law enforcement agencies already use Leads Online, including the Moberly Police Department, Columbia Police Department and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department.

“In today’s society, law enforcement has good working relationships with the pawn shops and that’s what we need to fight the crime and get the items back for the owners,” said Nichols. “Leads Online is another tool for us to quickly develop the suspect and their information.”

Law enforcement agencies recommend keeping track of your valuables’ information on ReportIt.