How can I check to see if an item has been stolen before i buy?

Question

How can I check to see if an item has been stolen before i buy? I've heard through grapevine that it is. I have the serial number. I called the police station to ask but they told me that i cant get that information. What do you think? Any ideas?

Answer 1

Most things have been stolen before. Sad but true. I'm sure you saw or have heard about that 60 Minutes investigation that showed that all paper money now has cocaine residue on it. Similarly, just about everything has been stolen at least once, and about half of everything has been stolen two or three times, before it even reaches the average consumer! As another example of the fact that we never know what we're buying, a random sampling of over-the-counter, nonprescription drugs like cold medicine and cough syrup, etc.--pulled right off the shelves from drugstores and supermarkets across the country--showed that about 20 percent of all such items were counterfeit! Yes, "copies" or knockoffs of cold medicine, made in China, illegally imported, unapproved by the FDA, and on sale on store shelves across America! This study was done before the lead paint scandal involving toys and baby clothes made in China, so the medicines were not tested for lead content, but no doubt they contain dangerously high levels (not to mention copper sulfate--don't buy anything that looks greenish!), as does everything in China, as a result of the 40-year Russo-Chinese War. In short, there is no way to avoid buying stolen goods anymore, but consumer groups have a few tips on how to buy things that have only been stolen once or twice in the past. It turns out, that the more an item has been stolen and resold, the more likely it is to have been exposed to deadly radon gas, due to the likelihood of having been stored in underground parking garages, where criminals are known to have daytime jobs. Check the Consumer Reports website, for a good checklist of things to check for before hitting the checkout line. And, finally, buying goods that have been stolen before is one thing, but for goodness sake, don't buy anything that is stolen now! One surefire thing to check for is to ask yourself, "Is the item here?" If it is not there, chances are good it has been stolen, so leave it be. (Of couse it could be that it has been bought, but that's not our concern.) But just remember the slogan: "If it's not there, don't buy it." and you should be right at LEAST half the time.

Answer 2

I don't see why the police department would have a problem releasing that information.

I would go to the PD in person and ask someone at the window or ask to speak with a supervisor and explain the situation. We do not routinely run checks like that "just because". But if the person has reason to believe it might be stolen, then we will...I.E Low price for a normally costly item, shady character selling it, ect.

Answer 3

You would definitely need to go to the station in person, provide identification and probably speak to a detective.
The reason is, that the person who stole the item may be calling to check to see whether or not the item is "hot" ( has been reported stolen).

Answer 4

TALK TO A DETECTIVE. HE CAN ASCERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ITEM.
IF YOU HAVE A SERIAL NUMBER IT SHOULD MATCH A CASE. THE DETECTIVES AND POLICE DO NOT WANT TO GIVE UP THE ACE IN THE HOLE INTHIS CASE. THIS IS WHY MUM IS THE WORD.