As frequent readers of this site know, I work as a private investigator in and around the Portland Oregon area and often couple my investigations with physical security consultation. Over the years I have had many interesting cases and have written about some here on this blog. The Creepy Guy case was one of my earlier cases and likely prevented a young lady from being assaulted by a mentally unbalanced sexual predator but most of my private investigator cases are more “mundane” and involve some type of fraud or theft.
Lately I have had more people who have become victims of thefts contact me. In many larger cities like Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, etc. local police have become overwhelmed with violent crimes and spend little, if any, resources on investigating property crimes. In some cities the police no longer even respond to the scene of a theft or burglary to take a perfunctory report. The victim just makes a report over the phone or online. A report is generated but that’s it. Local police don’t do any follow-up. And even if the thief is somehow miraculously identified the local County District Attorney seldom prosecutes theft cases. Sadly, this is how far some cities and counties have deteriorated these days.
Sometimes the victim has some good suspect information that could be followed-up on like the license plate of the suspect’s vehicle, video surveillance or known suspected accomplices. Because the local police won’t do any meaningful follow-up they turn to me. I have decades of investigative experience and can diligently pursue all leads. Often I am able to identify the perpetrator but because the local prosecutor seldom prosecutes these cases – what then?
Sometimes when the stolen property is uniquely valuable or holds some sentimental value, my client will tell me they are willing to pay the thief to get their property back. This sounds CRAZY! Why should a crime victim have to offer money to a thief who stole their property! But sometimes there is no other option. 
Here are just a few examples of “buying back” stolen property cases that I have worked on:
* A small dental office was burglarized and burglars stole expensive dental tools and an iPad. These tools had almost no “street value” because no dentist is going to buy used dental tools on the street. The dentist was able to use the locator app on his stolen iPad and traced it to a house less than a mile away. The dentist went to this house and the man answering the door said he didn’t know anything. The dentist then hired me. I did some research on who lives and frequents this house and contacted the most likely suspect. I have been talking to criminals for decades so I knew how to talk to him. I was able to facilitate the return of the stolen dental tools for just a couple hundred dollars. Case solved!
* Several pieces of jewelry with great sentimental value were stolen from a home. The victim suspected the roommate who had moved out. The victim just wanted the jewelry back and was willing to pay the roommate to get them back. But the victim didn’t know where the roommate had moved to and was afraid to confront the suspected thief. The victim hired me. I located the roommate and was able to facilitate the return of the jewelry. Case solved!
* A laptop containing years of hard work was stolen from a parked vehicle. Nearby video surveillance cameras show a homeless looking man smashing the vehicle window and making off with the laptop. The victim made a police report and expected that police would conduct some kind of investigation to identify the thief. No investigation whatsoever occurred. The victim hired me.
As I have written in previous articles, the presence of security cameras do not deter most criminals, but it does provide evidence that a skilled investigator can use to investigate “who-done-it” and hopefully recover the stolen items. Armed with an image captured from the surveillance camera I visited homeless camps in the area and put the ‘word out’ that I was willing to pay a CASH REWARD for the return of the laptop. It didn’t take long for this to populate amongst the local homeless community and I was able to recover the stolen laptop for less than a hundred dollars. Case solved!
Hazards of Trying to “Buy Back” Your Stolen Property
There are definitely hazards associated with contacting criminals and trying to pay them for the return of stolen property. Often one has to meet these individuals in not-so-safe places and often they are high on drugs. These, and many other factors, can make it hazardous to try and pay money to crooks to get your stolen property back. I have experience in dealing with all kind of crooks and take the necessary precautions. Some things to take into consideration:
* Thief Denies All
When confronted by a victim, most thieves will vehemently deny that they know anything about the theft. Many will get hostile or even threatening. Usually, the chance of ever “buying back” the stolen property is lost forever because of these dynamics. A third-party should be used to contact the suspect. It often takes an investigator who has training, skill and experience in criminal interview techniques to get the thief to agree to return the property.
* Beware of rip-offs!
Thieves are thieves. Many like to think they are clever. If they sense that you are desperate to get your stuff back (and if you are talking to the person who you suspect stole your stuff, you are desperate!) they will likely still deny they know anything about who stole your property but might offer to “find” your property and “get” if for you. You pay them money and they never deliver your property. They just ripped you off again! There is a correct way to deal with thieves in these situations to prevent getting ripped-off and a proper protocol to transfer payment for the return on your items.
Summary:
It is a sad state of affairs when a crime victim has to even consider trying to pay a thief for the return of their stolen property. In many jurisdictions police actively investigate thefts and prosecutors actually prosecute thieves. Unfortunately, in some jurisdictions police do not take property crimes seriously and some prosecutors do not routinely even consider prosecution.
In some cases it is worth it to a crime victim to try and identify the thieves and pay the thieves for the return of their property. There are dangers in dealing with criminals and if the decision is made to try and identify the perpetrator(s) and pay for the return of the stolen property a third party trained and experienced in following-up on investigative leads, criminal interrogation, and someone who has experience in dealing with low-life thieves should be hired. This is usually not a “do-it-yourself” thing.
