Homeowners should keep track of serial numbers to help catch burglars.

Police work with pawn shops to return stolen property.

April 12, 2011|by Cara Restelli, KY3 News | crestelli@ky3.com

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Every 10 seconds, a home is burglarized. The average homeowner loses more than $1,700 in stolen goods. If you fall victim, however, there's no reason you can't get your stuff back.

The thought of your stuff ending up in a pawn shop can be scary and frustrating, but there is something you can do to protect yourself and your prized possessions.

You may know it's a good idea to do a home inventory and write down what you own in case of a fire or tornado. Being a little more specific can also help catch a burglar and maybe even get your stuff back.

"We're looking at equipment with serial numbers. Anything that has something identifiable can help us," said Cpl. Matt Brown, a spokesman for the Springfield Police Department.

Whenever someone tries to sell something at a pawn shop, they must show their ID and pose for a picture. The pawn shops then put that information and the serial numbers and other identifiable information of items sold onto a website.

"We can take that and compare the two and look at the picture and see if they match," said Brown.

Police say it's a huge tool that they can use to get your stuff back and catch the bad guys.

"It absolutely works. The vast majority of the time it is very very effective," said Brown.

Serial numbers are on things like TVs, computers and keyboards. For non electronics, document anything identifiable to help police.

When they do make a match, pawn shops lose the money that they paid the seller, but Gold Buyers Manager Tim Kavanaugh says it's worth it.

"It's nice to know you're able to get the property back to the victim who in the end it was stolen from," he said.

"We understand it takes time to go around your home and photograph everything and catalog it and come up with serial numbers. It is a good two to three hours that may not seem like time well spent, but it is if you ever have anything stolen," said Brown.

While it's not required, some pawn shops hold on to everything they buy for a few days, just to reduce the possibility of unknowingly selling stolen goods.

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