Tracking stolen property makes sense

Sheriff Chuck Curry last week presented the Flathead County commissioners with the draft of an ordinance that would require pawn shops within the county to use online software to connect their inventory to the Sheriff’s Office.

Now the ball is in the commissioners’ court to decide whether or not to pass the legislation.

Dovetailing with an ordinance the city of Kalispell already is successfully using to recover stolen property seems like a no-brainer, and we urge the commissioners to follow Kalispell’s lead. According to Kalispell Police Chief Roger Nasset, his department has recovered nearly $50,000 in stolen property since the city enacted the pawn shop ordinance a couple of years ago. The procedure could also have a deterrent effect on property crime as thieves become aware that transactions may lead back to them.

Law-enforcement authorities on both the city and county levels acknowledge an uptick in burglaries and thefts, apparently tied to a growing drug-abuse problem in the area. About a month ago a Kalispell couple pleaded with the county commissioners to impose a pawn-shop law. Their home had been burglarized twice within the past year, with thieves making off with some $12,000 worth of property.

It makes perfect sense for the cities and county to collaborate in helping folks recover their stolen items. Both the city and county subscribe to LeadsOnline, a technology service that provides a link between investigators and missing items. Businesses tap into the software free of charge. The information pawnbrokers provide is encrypted and secure, and only authorized law enforcement officials investigating crimes have access to the data.

A key difference between the Kalispell ordinance and the county’s proposal is that secondhand shops are included in the city ordinance, while state law forbids counties from regulating secondhand businesses.

The sheriff has done the legwork needed to make this ordinance a reality. Now it’s up to the commissioners to embrace it.