With the summer lawn-maintenance season in high gear, thieves increasingly are targeting riding mowers and other high-priced landscaping equipment, and Mount Airy police are trying to help citizens strike back.

One example occurred last week when a Cub Cadet riding lawn mower was reported stolen from a residence on Cross Creek Drive, along with a weedeater, chainsaw and leaf blower. The loss was valued at more than $2,000, which is typical in such cases.

Some stolen items likely wind up in elaborate fencing operations that allow them to be resold in other parts of the country, Mount Airy Police Lt. Jim Armbrister said Wednesday.

But others are marketed through various local channels, including “person-to-person” sales, said Armbrister, who works in the Community Services Division of the city police department.

Another obvious outlet is local pawnshops, which police monitor constantly.

“The pawnshops have to be really careful,” Armbrister said. When items are pawned, the shop operators list their serial numbers on tickets. Those tickets are monitored on a weekly basis by police, who compare numbers of stolen goods with those of items that have been pawned.

“Pawnshops are required by law to turn over those pawn tickets,” Armbrister said.

Owners Can Help

Along with storing such equipment in locked buildings or trying to secure it through other means, property owners can protect themselves in other ways, police advise. One is to make an inventory of mowers and other property, including listing the serial numbers.

Armbrister suggested that residents use a video camera to log all equipment housed in garages or outbuildings, a method that not only records its visual characteristics but brand names, makes and models, along with the serial numbers.

At times when such items are stolen, victims have no such identifying information to supply to police, the lieutenant said. But maintaining those details can help greatly with insurance claims as well as investigations.

Armbrister also supplied another helpful tip: adding what he called an “OAN,” or owner-applied number, which is stressed in Community Watch programs. This basically involves putting a number, name or other identifying markings in an inconspicuous place on property so that its ownership can be pinpointed later if stolen.

This is especially helpful in cases where thieves remove the regular serial numbers, according to Armbrister, who added that “relatively inexpensive” engravers are on the market to allow this.

That method also can pay dividends when police recover stolen items and seek to determine the rightful owners.

Armbrister further suggested marking less-costly implements such as rakes, and encourages property owners to report all thefts.

“No matter how insignificant it might seem, go ahead and make police reports,” he said, which in addition to aiding property identification makes officers aware of neighborhoods being targeted.

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.