pawn shops

Pawn: frequently asked questions:

+ My property has been stolen and I believe it may have been pawned, what should I do first?

You must first file a police report with APD. When filing your report, please be certain to provide as much descriptive information as possible for your stolen property.

If known, be certain to provide the: make, model number, serial number, distinguishing features or damage, replacement value, and a general description for each stolen item. Please also provide any available photos of your property.

For jewelry, please provide the metal type, metal karat, metal color, stone type, stone carat, stone color, stone shape, chain length, ring size, a general description for each piece, and replacement values for each item. Please also provide any available photos of your property.

+ I submitted my report. Should I contact all of the pawn shops to notify them about my stolen property?

No. Pawnbrokers cannot disclose to the public any information about customer transactions (buying, selling, or pawning).

+ Should I visit all of the pawn shops to see if any of my property is out for sale?

That depends. If your property was stolen more than 30 or 60 days ago, yes.

If your property was stolen less than 30 days ago, do not visit the pawn shops, yet.

+ Why does it matter when my property was stolen?

The municipal pawn ordinance and the Alaska state statute require that pawn shops hold all items sold to them (a purchase/buy transaction) for a minimum of 30 days. Likewise, items taken as collateral for a loan (pawn) transaction are required to be held for a minimum of 60 days.

Example: Let’s say your property was stolen this morning and sold to a pawn shop this afternoon. That property would not be put out for sale for at least 30 days from today.

Similarly, if your property was stolen this morning and pawned this afternoon, the property would not be put out for sale for at least 60 days from today.

+ What if I am certain my property has been sold to a pawn shop or pawned, because I know either who sold/pawned it or where it was sold/pawned?

If you have not yet filed your report, you MUST include this information, specifically the name of the suspect and/or the name of the pawn shop, in your report. Then email the pawn clerk immediately after you have filed.

If you have already filed a report, you must file a supplemental report with the name of your suspect and/or the name of the pawn shop. Contact the pawn clerk immediately after you have filed.

If you know where the property was sold/pawned, you should also alert shop management that they are in possession of your stolen property. Ask to speak with a manager and provide them with your APD case number or online reporting tracking number. The manager will likely refer you to the pawn clerk, but they may be willing to pull the property you have identified from the sales floor until they receive confirmation from the pawn clerk.

Please be courteous to pawn shop staff. They are not required to pull property off of the sales floor until directed to by an APD employee.

+ Why do I have to contact the pawn clerk? Why can’t an officer just seize my property from the pawn shop?

Officers will not seize stolen property from pawn shops once a transaction has been completed. They will refer you to the pawn clerk.

The procedural law governing stolen property that has been found to be sold to or pawned at a pawn shop is fairly complex. The pawn clerk will work within these laws to recover your stolen property.

+ I reported my property as stolen. I provided a serial number and a replacement value of $500.00 or more for my property. Because of this, another APD employee explained that the pawn clerk will know if my serialized property valued at $500.00 or more gets sold to/pawned at a pawn shop. Do I need to contact the pawn clerk to check to see if this item has been sold to/pawned at a pawn shop?

No, the pawn clerk will contact you if the serialized property, valued at $500.00 or more, is sold to or pawned at a pawn shop operating within the Municipality.

If you have provided a serial number for your stolen property and valued it at $500.00 or more, said property will be listed as stolen in a national database once your report has been filed or your online report has been processed.

The database to which pawn shops report their transactions automatically interfaces with this national database where stolen, serialized property is listed. The pawn clerk will receive an alert if serialized property reported stolen to APD and listed stolen in the national database is pawned within APD jurisdiction.

+ My firearm was stolen. When I filed my report I provided a serial number, but I provided a replacement value of less than $500.00. I was also told that the pawn clerk will know if my serialized firearm gets sold to/pawned at a pawn shop. Do I need to contact the pawn clerk to check to see if my serialized firearm has been sold to/pawned at a pawn shop?

No, the pawn clerk will contact you if the serialized firearm is sold to or pawned at a pawn shop operating within the Municipality.

If you have provided a serial number for your stolen firearm, said property will be listed as stolen in a national database once your report has been filed or your online report has been processed. The value of the firearm is irrelevant.

The database to which pawn shops report their transactions automatically interfaces with this national database where stolen, serialized firearms are listed. The pawn clerk will receive an alert if a serialized firearm reported stolen to APD and listed stolen in the national database is pawned within APD jurisdiction.