Every year local law enforcement agencies auction off thousands of items that they recover because they are unable to locate the rightful owners of the property. During the holiday season many gifts have been purchased that may become lost or stolen.

COG, along with local police departments, reminds area residents to record the serial numbers of all possessions, including ones that may have been purchased during the holidays. Knowing the serial number of lost or stolen items provides local law enforcement with the information they need to return an item once it is recovered.

In 2005, COG introduced a Regional Pawn Data Sharing System to help recover stolen property and solve crimes in the region. The system gives police departments direct access to items pawned in neighboring jurisdictions, greatly increasing their chances of recovering items stolen in one jurisdiction and pawned in another. Since its introduction, the pawn system has greatly increased the number of items being recovered.