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Pawn Shop Sting Nets Thousands in Stolen Merchandise

By Lee Ross

Albuquerque, NM – Police recovered power drills and other tools, guns, a Sony Play Station and a four thousand dollar digital camera during a week-long sting operation.

Mayor Richard Berry made addressing property crime one of his priorities when he took office last year.

Albuquerque Public Safety Spokesperson T.J. Wilham says pawn shop owners and the police department have formed a new alliance to share information.

Wilham talks about the new collaboration, "thieves need to know that pawn shop owners are on our side and they're communicating with us and if you're coming into their stories and selling 12 brand new Dewalt power drills, there's a good chance they're going to call us about it."

Wilham says pawn shop owners will meet with police officers every month to talk about potential scams and suspicious sellers. They will also have access to a secure website.

The alliance is similar to a retail association that was formed with the Albuquerque Police department several years ago to target crimes in shopping centers and stores around the city.