MPD Offers You A Chance To Peruse Stolen Goods Recovered On-line

Rhyl’s Biggest Receiver of Stolen Goods, originally uploaded by Gareth Hacking.

From an email:

Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier announced today that hundreds of items of stolen property will be posted online for owners to view and retrieve.

In January 2008, members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) Burglary & Pawn Unit worked jointly with members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and discovered a large-scale fencing operation at Rosemar Liquors in the 1300 block of Good Hope Road, SE.  The stolen merchandise is valued at more than $200,000.

In an effort to return the property to its rightful owners, the members of the MPD Burglary & Pawn Unit have coordinated with the DC Armory for owners to physically view the stolen property.  The property will be displayed at the DC Armory from January 5, 2009 to January 7, 2009.  The Armory is located at 2001 East Capital Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003.  The hours for the public viewing will be from 12 pm to 7 pm on January 5th and 6th, and 10 am to 5 pm on January 7th. Continues after the jump.

To help expedite the retrieval of the items, the MPD will post the items on the MPD website at http://mpdc.dc.gov/stolenproperty for online viewing starting today until December 31, 2008.  Individuals who have been the victims of crimes where property has been stolen can go to the MPD website and click on the link for the property viewing.

Once the property is viewed online and owners wish to claim it, they must use the links on the website to email the MPD Burglary & Pawn Unit and provide their name, address, contact telephone numbers, and the report number(s) for the stolen property.   MPD detectives will then contact the owners and arrange to meet and physically inspect the property.  At that time, owners must submit proof that they are the rightful owners.

If owners of the stolen items cannot view the items online, they may come to the DC Armory to recover their property.  Report numbers taken at the time the items were stolen must be provided to enter the DC Armory to view the property.  MPD officers and detectives will be on site to assist residents in identifying and retrieving their property.

To claim property, an individual must have:

• A Government Issued Identification Card and one of the following:
  • The serial numbers of property stolen
  • Insurance appraisals for stolen property
  • Photographs of stolen property with copy of receipt and Police Report number

Any other proof of ownership will be considered on a case by case basis by the MPD investigators. Any property not claimed during this operation will be released to the Federal Government after 30 days to be sold at auction.

• View stolen property
• http://newsroom.dc.gov/show.aspx/agency/mpdc/section/2/release/15687/year/2008/month/12