Toms River First in Ocean County to Adopt a Pilot Program to Track Stolen Goods

Pawn shops, cash for gold stores, scrap metal yards, and electronic resellers now must follow a stricter, uniform electronic reporting system to help police crack down on stolen goods from being sold at such establishments, under a measure approved by the Toms River Council Tuesday. 

Pawn brokers and dealers must provide authorities with an electronic receipt of a customer's I-D and must hold onto jewelry and other second-hand goods for at least ten days, instead of 7, according to Toms River Police Chief Mitch Little.

"With the electronic capture of this information, it does increase our chances of finding stolen goods and possibly returning them to their owners," said Little.

Most crime is committed by drugs users who burglarize and shop lift and then pawn the  stolen items to get cash to be able to buy more drugs, according to Little.

Once any bugs in the system are worked out, Toms River Police will assist other communities in starting the program.

"Right now the Prosecutor has gotten cooperation from not only us, but every other town in Ocean County, so we are all adopting this," said Little.