OFFICER SAYS DRUG HABITS ARE BEHIND MANY THEFTS

Police Say Most Stolen Items Never Recovered

More than $2 million in property stolen last year either no longer exists
or remains in the hands of someone other than the owner, Decatur police
reported.

Police recovered 29 percent of $3 million in stolen property last year,
Capt. Ken Collier said. Investigators continue searching for the remainder,
a difficult task.

Finding stolen property can take investigators months. Sometimes, they
never find it.

The property -- often taken from a vehicle -- can follow several paths
after being stolen.

Sometimes, the thieves consume or destroy the property. But the usual path
involves drugs, said Lt. Richard Crowell of the Criminal Investigative
Division. Thieves trade a stolen car stereo for crack cocaine, then
continue stealing to feed their habit.

Other needs factor in as well, Crowell said.

Thieves trade stolen property for alcohol, or to pay a debt. Some simply
set up shop at a flea market, dealing stolen goods to unsuspecting
customers. Sometimes they peddle the goods at garage sales.

Then other times, the thieves hit local pawnshops, he said.

Mid-City Pawn President Bob Lewis said pawnbrokers receive a bad rap.

"If it is stolen, then we don't want it," Lewis said. "Pawnshops get heat
for a lot of things they don't do."

Decatur pawnbrokers must register with police every item that enters or
leaves their store, said Lewis, a 27-year veteran of the business. Mid-City
Pawn on Sixth Avenue Southeast also photographs its customers and requires
them to give Social Security number, driver license number and other basic
information before a transaction, Lewis said.

Police can compare theft reports to the pawnshop's list. Should stolen
items appear on the list, police can use the shop's information to track
down the suspect, Lewis said.

Police generally recovered items last year during or following an arrest.
When the department makes an arrest, investigators determine whether the
suspect was involved in any other crimes, Collier said.

Investigators then search for goods that suspect possibly stole.

Mid-City Pawn distributes business cards listing other locations that
victims can search, including flea markets, jewelry buyers, collectible
stores, repair centers, used sporting goods stores and gun dealers. The
card also lists police property rooms.