I have served in Law Enforcement for over 50 years. Thirty-one years with the San Antonio Texas Police Department and nineteen years with the County of Bexar. With the San Antonio Police Department I assisted with the organization of and supervised the “Crime Task Force”, and as such testified before the Committee on Street Crimes in America, Hon. Claude Pepper Chairman on April 10, 1973 (see report in Congress pages 545-546.) Also I served as Chief Investigator of Special Crimes for the Bexar County District Attorneys Office. I know that this system being presented on Property Identification is one of the best tools to assist the Citizens and the Law Enforcement personnel to return the property to the rightful owners with as little time and expense to either. As I testified before Congress, my unit would apprehend thieves’ with property just stolen. Many times we were unable to find where the property came from and each year, millions of dollars of unclaimed property is sold at Police Auctions because of lack of identification. In these times of high drug use, thefts and burglaries’ have increased to an alarming number. If Citizens would file the identification numbers or identifying marks with a central agency the property could be traced at once and better convictions could be obtained. Often, if the location of the crime cannot be found, then no prosecutions can be brought against the perpetrators. Stolen property is not just sold or traded in the area it was taken from, but could show up anywhere. As such Law Enforcement agencies could check the files of “OWNER LOCATOR ASSISTANCE”, and find the location of the offense and the rightful owner. I highly recommend this system to be placed in use as soon as possible.

Thomas T. Fenley, Jr.
Commander SAPD Crime Task Force (retired)
Chief Investigator Special Crimes, District Attorneys Office (retired)
Deputy Chief, Constable Pct.2, Bexar County Texas (retired)

I think the Owner Locator Assistance database is a landmark concept for the prevention of property crimes. During my 35 years of law enforcement career, I can only imagine the amount of property we could have recovered and returned to the victims of a burglary or other larcenies had we had this database. The victims would have included myself, since I have personally been burglarized twice and almost none of my property was ever recovered. The number of criminals we could have pursued charges against and most but not least, the possible reduction in property crimes. I will definitely register my personal property with the Owner Locator Assistance database. I feel confident that I would recover a much higher percentage of my property, if I ever fall prey to a burglary again

Robert Giddings, Ret.
Deputy Chief
Bexar County Sheriff's Office
San Antonio, Texas

Owner Locator Assistance database is the first of it’s kind for owner’s to enter their property into a secured database and that information available to law enforcement. Several times officers stop suspects with property that has not been entered into TCIC/NCIC as stolen, due to the owner being at work or out of town and have not discovered the theft. This database will give law enforcement another tool to recover stolen property.
I have served as a police officer for 36 years and I definitely support the Owner Locator Assistance secured database. I personally will enter my property with Owner Locator Assistance because there are times I’m away for several days at a time and would want my property on a database should offices stop a suspect before I can discover or report the theft.

Greg Whitlock, Chief of Police
City of Terrell Hills
Terrell Hills, Texas