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news-leader.com
Nixa police endorse use of online property inventory system
By Tara Muck
August 18, 2011
Nixa – The Nixa Police Department is asking citizens to use a free online property inventory system that will help law enforcement recover stolen property.
Nixa Cpl. Chad Tennis said the software, ReportIt, allows citizens to enter into the system information of their valuables in case they're lost through burglary, fire or a natural disaster.
Citizens can enter serial and model numbers of property, provide descriptions and upload photographs. If the property is stolen or lost due to fire or tornadoes, they can print off their information on any computer with Internet access and provide it to law enforcement and insurance agencies.
Tennis said once that information is given to law enforcement, they're able to use LeadsOnline, a national investigation system, to help them locate the stolen property in case it's been pawned.
People have always been told to document their valuables, but if those documents are stored in a fire-proof safe, a thief is likely to take that with them, Tennis said.
"If (the information) is on a secured website, it's not going to be at the location where you've been hit," he said. "It's basically a new turn on an old system."
Captain Kevin Turpin with the Christian County Sheriff's Office said LeadsOnline has been a great asset since the department began using it nearly three years ago, allowing them to recover property quicker and easier.
Prior to having LeadsOnline, the sheriff's office would go to local pawn shops and pick up copies of receipts, he said. Then someone would enter those into the computer to see if anything came up as stolen.
"It was very time-consuming. It took a lot of man hours to do," Turpin said. "Now this has dramatically changed that. It's a time saver and we've had more (recovery) success with it."