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LeadsOnline trial yields four recovered guns for Hamlin PD
Hamlin police get stolen property search tool
By Sean O'Donoghue
July 21, 2011
HAMLIN – Criminals in Hamlin might now have to think twice before pawning stolen goods. The town's police force last week sought and received approval for the use of an online search tool that may help in tracking stolen property.
The matter was discussed at the Monday, July 11, 2011 monthly meeting of Hamlin Town Council at the Lincoln County Friends of the Arts facility in Hamlin. The meeting's unusual venue was necessitated by a power outage at the town hall.
Mayor Chris Wilkinson, who also serves as the municipality's chief of police, briefed the council on Leads Online, which styles itself as the "nation's largest online investigation system." According to the company, the system is used by law enforcement to recover stolen property, "help stop meth makers, reduce metal theft, and solve crimes." The company claims to have hundreds of millions of records in its database.
Explaining the system to the council, the mayor said that the system will connect the town's police force with area pawn shops. He gave the example of a stolen lawnmower. If a mower was stolen on a particular date and then pawned, it could be later tracked to that particular pawn shop. "We tried it and found a guy who had pawned four guns," said the mayor. The mayor would not divulge the man's identity during the meeting.
Beyond the trial period, the system comes at a cost. The mayor told the council that the cost to the town would be $1,068 per year.
After discussing the matter for around 10 minutes, the council unanimously approved a motion to purchase access to the system for one year.