Two weeks ago I had an antique chimney pot stolen out of my backyard. I made a police report that day. For about a week I felt invaded and sad, then I got mad. So I went looking for my property at the local architectural salvage yards. I found it at the first place I looked and returned the next day with the police. Luckily, the pot had some distinguishing marks that I had mentioned in the police report, plus I had several pictures. The manager of the yard said he had no record of how long he had had it or who he had bought it from. He quibbled a bit and then offered it back to me.
At first I was giddy at getting my pot back. But now I and my neighborhood block watch members have some questions:
Is it usual for a salvage business to keep no record of their sellers? I’ve been a customer there myself over the years and I always thought of it as a reputable business. They carry a lot of stained glass and other pricey stuff. Surely they must realize that some goods may be stolen and take precautions?
2)My peaceful neighborhood has been hit hard with break-ins and thefts recently. We all hoped that recovery of any property might lead to an arrest. But the police officer acted like this was the end of it. Would the police normally follow up on this? Or not, because the most of the thefts involved items under $1000?
I know that several Dopers have law enforcement backgrounds, so if there are any factual answers here it will be much appreciated.
Most private security investigators and police departments have “floor limits.”
Floor limits exist formally in private “house” security situations.
In the public realm they’re informal but nonetheless real.
If a stolen item, vehicle, etc is valued below the floor limit for its category of item, the relevant detectives will do nothing unless there’s an eye witness willing to testify against a known culprit.
My experience would say that it depends on what kind of a governmental entity the salvage yard operator lives in. If a major city limit, then he is more likely to have to keep better records of purchases. If in the country, a township, etc. then less likely. Check with the jurisdiction which he falls under, and ask if they have record-keeping requirements.
Something like that would likely show in the books as a weight of scrap metal. 50lbs of iron 300lbs copper and an amount paid. They might have brought it in with other scrap metal, so you can’t tell which entry is the one with your pot. They might just pay cash to the seedier people that live on the street, and not record the transaction at all.
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You know, I always hear about these cool places, and see them on the Home and Garden channel, and to a different extent on MythBusters. Which yellow pages classification do these things fall under anyway? I’d love a chance to stroll down the aisles at a place like this.
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I might be a victim of too much TV law enforcement…but isn’t the shop owner in posession of stolen property and therefore guilty of a crime?
If you are a known customer there, I would make a point in writing to the owner(s) that you will no longer be spending you disposable income at an establishment with criminal ties.