CASTLE ROCK —The is encouraging residents to use a new software platform that allows people to create an online catalog of valuable possessions and include identifying information that could aid in the recovery of that property if it is lost or stolen.
is a cloud-based storage system that allows people to inventory personal property, from electronics to jewelry to bicycles.
Users can upload photographs, serial numbers, scanned copies of receipts and other identifying information that could help guide those items back to their rightful owners in the event of loss or theft, officials with the Castle Rock police say.
“If something happens — you lost property or a crime has been committed and somebody stole something from you — then you have all this information to share with the police,” Castle Rock police Cmdr. Doug Ernst said.
Ernst oversees the department’s investigations division, including the property and evidence unit. He said Castle Rock has paid $3,600 annually for three years to use software from , which provides a database of recently pawned items, allowing investigators to more easily search for missing items and track people who may be stealing property. LeadsOnline also offers ReportIt at no added cost to the department or residents, Ernst said. Castle Rock signed up for ReportIt a little more than six months ago.
“It’s extremely handy,” Ernst said of the combined LeadsOnline and ReportIt package. “No. 1, it’s a tool where we can go out and find people who have been involved in crimes, not only in our jurisdiction, but across Colorado with other agencies. No 2., we’re really big on getting property, whether it was stolen or lost, back to the owners, and this has been very beneficial.”
Police don’t know just how many Castle Rock residents have started ReportIt accounts. It is completely confidential, Ernst said.
Since the data is stored on a cloud, using a third-party data storage center, it can be accessed from anywhere and is not tied to a home computer or laptop that itself could be damaged or stolen.
The inventories could also be useful when filing insurance claims in the event of an accident or natural disaster, Ernst said.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office rolled out ReportIt for residents last summer, department spokesman Sgt. Ron Hanavan said.
“We highly recommend that citizens use this tool,” Hanavan said. “In this day and age it’s difficult to keep track of all of the things, and this is a convenient way for you to be able to do that. And, in the unfortunate event you are victimized, police can use the information in essence to create a lead.”
ReportIt is just one part of the town’s efforts to protect and return private property. In 2012, police began posting lists of being held at police headquarters to the town website, instead of printing that information in local newspapers. Items typically stay on the list for 60 to 90 days before being destroyed or sent to auction, Suzi Doerhoff, the department’s evidence technician, said.
“As far as I know, we were the first agency in Colorado to do that,” Doerhoff said. “I’m trying to give people as much opportunity to recovery their property as I can.”
Doerhoff said bikes are among the most common items to end up in police custody in outdoorsy Castle Rock, and few are ever claimed by their owners. She recommends anyone who loses a bike in town call the police to at least check whether it has been turned in and highly recommends all bike owners take pictures of their bike and their bike’s serial number, information that could then be logged into ReportIt.
“We certainly place an emphasis on partnerships between the police and the community, and we just feel ReportIt is one more tool that helps us work the community to provide a high level of law enforcement services to our residents,” Castle Rock Police Chief Jack Cauley said.
Joe Rubino: 303-954-2953 or jrubino@denverpost.com
For more information, call 303-663-6100.
