(L.E.A.D.S.ONLINE CLIENT – PASADENA, TX POLICE DEPT.)

New system helps link burglaries

By MARCUS TANTILLO, Citizen Reporter 01/29/2005

A new data processing system helped Pasadena police recover items stolen from Pasadena businesses and then pawned in Houston. L.E.A.D.S. Online, a Web-based service, allows police to have quicker access to items pawned to compare them with those that have been reported stolen. During the past month, Pasadena police have investigated several burglaries in which a hole was cut into walls of buildings for access. Using the new software, Pasadena police were able to link items stolen to a male that has pawned some of items in pawn stores that are enrolled in L.E.A.D.S. Online.

Pasadena Police Detective E.K. Fickessen said the new system allows the department to access the pawn shop activity the next day rather than having to wait a couple of months for the old system. The system is free for pawn shops to enroll in, and police departments have to pay a subscription to access the database, Fickessen said.  He said pawn shops that are national companies are on the system, and now the police department can gain information on items that have been pawned across the country.

With the old system, often items would be gone by the time that they were discovered stolen and it was more locally limited, Fickessen said.

He said the new system also allows entry of more items and the system allows items to be searched based on numbers that might be added by the owner. He recommended that everyone mark their valuables with their driver's license number so that if it is stolen it can be traced back to the owner if it is recovered.

The system is also capable of making matches using partial numbers.

©Houston Community Newspapers Online 2005