TIP OF THE WEEK
Date: July 9, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sheriff Curtis Landers
541-265-0652
clanders@co.lincoln.or.us
DOCUMENTING YOUR VALUABLES
Lincoln County is no different than other areas of the state in that we can all become victims of theft and burglary. Unfortunately, these crimes occur all over Lincoln County on a daily basis. It’s important to make sure you take steps to prevent thefts or burglaries, but in the event they do occur, it’s important to have your valuables documented.
Documenting your valuables will help law enforcement solve the crime and possibly return your items. It will also help you identify what is missing so you can provide a list to law enforcement and your insurance company. This means all items of value, including firearms, jewelry, tools, electronics, furniture, etc.
Digital cameras can document your items electronically very easily. Store the information away someplace safe so you can recover it if ever needed. This could be a USB thumb drive, SD card, “cloud” storage, etc. If you are the victim of a crime and can give the police the serial numbers of your stolen property, the items can be entered into the law enforcement computer system. When this is accomplished, the odds of your property being returned to you greatly increases. It may even turn up in another jurisdiction during an unrelated search warrant, in a pawnshop, or even during a traffic stop.
If an officer runs the serial number to an item, and it is stolen, he or she can seize the item and contact the investigating agency. In many instances when a crime has been committed and there are no investigative leads, the case has been solved because of one documented serial number.
We know that people shouldn’t have to go to this kind of trouble, but the plain fact of the matter is that we should. So please do your part to make it more difficult for those who prey on others. Take a few moments to mark and document your valuables.
For more information and tips, visit our web site at www.lincolncountysheriff.net and Like us on Facebook at Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office – Oregon.