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Josephine County, Ore. encourages citizens to record serial numbers
Finding owners of stolen goods a challenge
August 3, 2011
Televisions, computers and cell phones are usually the most popular gadgets at home.
In Jospehine County, where there's around 20 burglaries a month, they're also the most popular gadgets to be stolen.
"Things are taken because the criminal sees an easy opportunity to pick something up," said Erin Maue with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office is now in a dilemma. Deputies usually have no problem finding stolen goods but getting them back to their owners can be a challenge.
Without registering the tiny serial numbers that come on everything from guns to refrigerators it may be impossible to get your stuff back.
"Without those serial numbers to confirm the black TV is Susie's black TV there's no way to tell if she's the owner of that," Maue said.
To avoid that Maue said it's not that hard. You can go online and register your goods on Leads Online using the items serial number.
If it gets stolen and deputies find something similar when they enter into a database.
Most all electronics have serial numbers you just have to know where to look. On most cell phones, like this Blackberry's, if you take off the back cover and remove the battery it's on the inside of the phone.
Although property crimes have gone down 29% in Josephine County in the last few years, there were 667 thefts in the county and 330 burglaries in 2010.
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