NCJ Number
79208
Date Published
1980
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This segment of CBS' '60 Minutes' discusses the rising wave of commercial burglaries and their economic impact, examines the circumstances surrounding thefts of IBM Selectric typewriters in California, and advocates computerized serializing of all types of expensive office equipment to forestall this form of crime.
Abstract
Office equipment theft is a lucrative crime specialty which carries few risks of apprehension and immediate financial returns. Economic loss from this crime is estimated at $500 million per year. An example of equipment easily stolen and resold is the IBM Selectric typewriter, which is greatly in demand but carries a prohibitive price on the open market. Stolen machines are sold at half price ($450) to eager buyers who prefer not to question the bargain. The implementation of a computer scheme by the California Department of Justice was instrumental in tracing 57 illegal transactions of IBM Selectrics to a single thief. Police computerization of serial numbers from stolen typewriters enabled the recovery of subsequently serviced and resold equipment. Television reporters interviewed both fencers and buyers of this equipment who exhibited little regret at having been involved in dealing with stolen property. They claimed ignorance and lack of interest in the origins of the item they had purchased and did not feel responsible for questioning the suspicious features of their transaction. The criminal charge for fencers and buyers can be concealment of stolen property, and at the very least, the buyer forfeits his investment if the item is successfully traced. It is urged that other types of equipment be serialized and that police institute computerized tracing capability to facilitate the solution of commercial burglaries and limit the perpetration of this crime form.