Evesham Township soon will be joining Cherry Hill and Moorestown in protecting residents after a jewelry robbery with the introduction of an ordinance that will identify criminals who try to pawn the property.
The idea is to streamline the information through a computer system, a practice that would cost the township $300 a year.
According to Sgt. Joseph Friel, over the past three years, approximately $4 million worth of items have been stolen from Evesham residents.
When a piece of jewelry or property is pawned, the jewelry store copies the seller’s ID and drops the stacks of copies off to the police once a week, according to Angelo Breaux, owner of Family and Company Jewelers.
“The amount of time between when the person sells the jewelry to when the police receive the information is too long,” Breaux said.
The new system would scan the IDs immediately, dispatching the information to the police department’s computer, which is able to identify the criminal immediately, according to Friel.
“Our local businesses are hit pretty hard. This is a way for us to recover family heirlooms and jewelry. It’s a win for everyone,” Friel said.
According to Friel, homes are being broken into by drug addicts, who walk in through an open door, force entry or are a family member who knows the schedule of the resident.
The system in Cherry Hill identified a female who stole goods from a home and was headed to Camden to buy drugs, Friel said. The access to the program allowed Evesham Police to identify, locate and arrest her.
“We were able to go to the Cherry Hill store, recover the jewelry, and she admitted to what she did,” Friel said.
According to Friel, a majority of the criminals are from out of town and desperate.
“They know exactly what they’re doing,” Friel said. “They head right up to the bedroom, fill the pillowcase and head off.”
According to Chew, the system will be statewide, and a national system to capture criminals will be created in the near future.
Breaux has trained his employees to ask the right questions to stop the criminal activity as well.
“If someone is lucky enough to own a business in Marlton, we owe it to the community to make it as safe as possible,” Breaux said. “Everybody should embrace this fully.”
The public hearing on the ordinance will be held at the next council meeting on June 25.
In other news:
Numerous proclamations were given to students and athletes for recent accomplishments.
Cherokee Peer Leader Scholarship recipients Corey Vollmer, Tyler Conlin, Marianna Vigliotti and Katherine Gould were honored. Marlton Chiefs National Street Hockey Association champions in the Penguin A and Beaver C divisions were commended for their accomplishments this season.
“Nothing happens, ever, without a dream first, without hope or perseverance,” Mayor Randy Brown said. “No matter what we do, we never, ever quit.”
Michael Meehan of Boy Scout Troop №14 was honored for receiving his Eagle Scout honor. Meehan put in 600 hours of community service, delivered cash donations and delivered five truckloads of donated wish list items from several donation drive boxes to the Animal Orphanage in Voorhees.
Additionally, he landscaped by weeding, mulching and planting new flowers. Meehan, a junior, will be attending Burlington County College to pursue a degree in culinary arts.
