l.e.a.d.s.online Now Available
August 2005

Stores that accept merchandise from the public (including pawnshops, secondhand stores and used videogame stores) can now report their transactions electronically via a secure web-based service called l.e.a.d.s.online.  The community subscribes on an annual basis to access the system which is specifically designed for detective work.  Searches for suspects and property are conducted in seconds, and cross all reporting stores in the community, as well as those across county and state lines.  L.e.a.d.s.online equips investigators with a tool to catch criminals who attempt to evade detection by selling stolen items outside the city limits in which their crimes took place.  Investigators can also ‘save’ their searches in the system to automatically scan daily for fresh evidence as over 100,000 new transactions enter the system each night.

In addition to property crimes, law enforcement officers are also using l.e.a.d.s.online to solve other crimes.  In Overland Park, Kansas, the body of a murdered man was discovered when police responded to an apartment fire set to cover up the murder. Investigators had few leads on the homicide, but with a quick search of the l.e.a.d.s.online system, they found that a close acquaintance of the victim had sold a gold tooth from the victim’s body in a pawnshop.  Case closed – CSI Style.

Ohio state law and city ordinances require all pawnshops and some secondhand stores to report their transaction information to law enforcement.  However, the stores may not provide the name of the person who made the transaction.  The l.e.a.d.s.online service (with clients nationwide) allows investigators to see which items were pawned, but also who pawned the items (along with the person’s address and driver’s license number).  This critical customer information aids investigators in solving crimes of all kinds.  For more information about le.a.d.s.online, visit www.leadsonline.com.