Document what you own

We have talked before about some of the things that can help deter would-be burglars and thieves, but when there is a theft, there are some things that can greatly help law enforcement when it comes to tracking down these thieves and finding the stolen property.

Sometimes there is physical evidence that can be found at a crime scene. Fingerprints can often be found on items the suspect moved but did not take with them, such as jewelry boxes, medicine cabinets, windows, containers and other items throughout the house or building. We have also been able to retrieve DNA from items left on a crime scene by the suspect; however, results on DNA can take time to be returned from the crime lab.

When these types of evidence can be found, they can greatly help solve a case, but the most helpful thing that can help with tracking down both the property and the thief is the defining information about the item that was stolen.

Most people do not think of writing down serial numbers to items they buy, or even having a list of items in their house. It is sad that we live in a world where you must keep track of everything you own in fear that it may be taken from you, but we often take reports from people after a burglary or theft who cannot remember what they even had so they can report it to us.

They know items are missing, they just cannot remember what the items were. We often find property we believed to be stolen but have trouble proving where it came from.

There are a few things that can be done to help us a great deal when it comes to identifying items. The first one is recording brands, models and serial numbers of expensive items.

When an item is stolen and the owner can provide us with a serial number, that number is entered into a data base that will alert any law enforcement officer that runs it.

Another thing that can help is having pictures and amounts of what the items cost, and marking some items with a marker, or moto tool can also help identify items when they are found.

Having pictures as well as the other information is also very important if the items are destroyed in a fire, flood, or tornado. Some people have a notebook where they write this information down, some take a picture of the serial number along with the item, and for those who use smart phones, there are many apps like "Sortly" that can help you keep all this information on your phone.

Another good tip is to keep a copy of this information at a separate location than your own residence. This is especially important in case of a fire.

We have staff in the Sheriff's Office that spend a great deal of time tracking down stolen property and we want nothing more than to be able to catch those who would take property belonging to someone else.

I am asking for the public's help by recording this vital information so that if the time comes, you will have it available.