Huber Ridge Area

Your own detective work.

First of all I would like to thank the HRAA for this wonderful forum. There has never been a better way to very quickly share ideas, problems and hopefully solutions.

There is a great deal of misunderstanding about pawn shops, the law, and people ''finding'' their own stuff.

First, if you don't have the serial number of the item, or your name, driver's license number, or some other means of identifying the property scratched into it, we can't prove it is yours. We might know it is yours, but we can't prove it in court. If we can't prove it, we can't seize the property as evidence. We get every pawn ticket. We check every ticket against the theft reports. We check out the people who pawn the items. In most instances we can't prosecute because we don't have a serial number or identifying mark. There are hundreds of string trimmers and leaf blowers coming and going out of Columbus area pawn shops every day. the judge will demand that we PROVE this one was stolen from this particular victim, if we can't...case dismissed...if we were to make such arrests without the required proof, it could be grounds for a law suit for false arrest. Some victims will say ''I know that is my item'', becasue of this crack or that rub spot. Almost all of the time, such ''identification'' will be thrown out by the court.

I am aware of many instances of people ''finding'' their property in pawn shops. In EVERY case here at BTPD, it was not the case that our detectives did not do their job. In EVERY single case there was no serial number/identifying mark available. The detective therfore could not lawfuly recover the property and charge the thief.

Please mark your property and record all make, model and serial #s. Don't leave your property in your car, yard or on your porch. Please lock your car, doors and sheds. Keep the garage door closed!

By the way, our police officers are all 21 years of age, or older. The report forms that we use are the state-wide OIBRS forms. They do ask for much more victim info than the old reports. No social security numbers are ever released as ''public information''. If you are filing a police report and you don't feel comfortable giving your social security number, or height or age, or other info to the officer, just say that you would rather not. We will still do what we can for you here locally. However, without that info the report can't be ''validated'' by the state crime report computer sysyem (OIBRS). If your property is recovered in another jurisdiction, they won't know it was stolen. The crime stats will not include your location, info etc. This is also used for grants and other resources, as well as research and crime studies. So please help us. I know it is frustrating. I have been a victim of burglary. I know how it feels. My property was never recovered. But we have to play by the rules. The court system, the police report system, all have such rules. It can be frustrating, but we ask for your cooperation and patience. We have been successful in recovering property and prosecuting criminals. With your help...together...we can catch even more bad guys.

OK who is at fault here?

It is a known fact your stuff wouldn't get lost or stolen if you put it away when you were done using it. It is something that parents drill into your head from the time your little, so it is obvious you must not have been taught well as a child, did you lead a sheltered life, are you one of ''those people'' who blame everyone but themselves when things don't go their way. I will assume you may be a book smart person, but when it comes to common sense, you have non. So stop blaming our Police Depatment because you left your toys out and Billy down the street took them! Man up and admit you made a mistake and things didn't go your way, and from now on put your toys away when your done playing...

By Instigator

wow

As stated, I agree I shouldn't leave things sitting out for people to take. But this is not about toys being stolen, this is about customer service and follow up/follow through.

Everytime I have called the blendon police (for non emergent problems) in the last 5 approximate years, for problems that range from hit skip collision on my parked car, to identity theft the investigation has gone no where with even less follow up from the police. Reguarding the hit-skip a neighbor witnessed the incident and had a description of the commercial vehicle which the police knew, however nothing happened. I on the otherhand went to the phone book and make 2 phone calls and located the gulty party, which was resolved privately.

Man up? Maybe I shouldn't leave my car parked on the street either.

Again, When it counts, you can count on the police! I certainly don't want the police to take time away from a Homecide investigation to work on my little report of theft.

Maybe my expectations are too high, and I should not expect anything to happen after a report has been filed.

Reguarding statistics and Demographics, perhaps if the officers were more plentiful and had a greater visual presence in the problem areas the crime rates would go down. I don't know for sure but it makes sence to me!

Whos fault for letting property become stolen that was sitting out.... Mine. How about the neighbor 5 doors down whom also experienced stolen items that were locked in the house?

I've said my part, feel free to respond but no more good can come from my defending my self or my statments.

Me too..

I'm not here to bash our police department, but I have to say, I've experienced the same lousy service.

Two years ago, my husband's and my neighbor's cars were hit at the same time, while parked on the street. After the collision, the kid tried to drive away. Fortunately, his car was too far damaged to do so.

We immediately contacted the police, as did the neighbor. We made the kid get out of the car so he couldn't try anything and my husband began to question him. Turns out, it wasn't his car, it wasn't insured, he didn't have a driver's license, and he had to have been speeding to do the damage he did to the neighbor's car. After an hour, the police still hadn't arrived. We both called the dispatcher again and waited another hour.

It was more than two hours after our original phone call, in the middle of a bitter cold February, that we stood outside guarding this reckless kid and our damaged cars before an officer finally arrived. I was more than a little furious.

Just my two cents.

By Also Anonymous