Back to top
Go to bottom

Pawnshop Unit

Tuesday, 14 January 2020 05:31 Written by  Published in Dignity Read 31228 times
Pawnshop Unit
Pawnshop History BPD

21 July 1909

To Keep Tabs on Pawnshops
Col. Swann Once Law Regarding Daily Reports of Deals

To help the police keep tabs on secondhand dealers and pawnbrokers who by stolen goods, Col. Sherlock Swann, President of the Board of Police Commissioners, will have introduced into the next Legislature a bill compelling Three-Ball Experts to make daily reports to the police Headquarters their purchases of valuables. Laws like this are in existence in nearly every other city.

“It is very important,” said Col. Swann yesterday, “that we have such a law in Baltimore. I do not say this simply because other cities have it, but only because it is necessary to keep tabs on stolen articles.

"I hope that when the bill is introduced at the coming Legislature it will pass, for it will be of great help to our department. Such a law affords the police the opportunity to recover the stolen property if the thieves are not caught. “Marshall Farnan warmly approved of the idea. "It's a necessity," said the Marshal. "To do good work we have to be able to date, and we should, by all means, have a system of knowing what jewelry is bought by secondhand dealers and pawnbrokers."

1 black devider 800 8 72

Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the Historic and Heroic... the men and women of the Baltimore Police Department who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department.

Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. follow us on Twitter @BaltoPoliceHist or like us on Facebook or mail pics to 8138 Dundalk Ave. Baltimore Md. 21222

Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll

Last modified on Monday, 04 May 2020 18:27
Baltimore Police Historical Society

Baltimore Police Historical Society put the articles found on this site together using research from old newspapers, old books, old photographs, and old artifacts. We rely more heavily on information written at, or near the time of the incidents or events that we are researching. We do not put too much weight on the more recently written historic information, or information that has been written with a biased opinion, or agenda. We will not tell our readers what to think about our past, as much as we will tell a story as it was written with the hopes of our readers will form their own opinions. We tell a story about what happened, and not why it happened. That said, ever so often we might come across a story that to us is so exciting we might express an enthusiasm in our writings. We hope the reader will still form an opinion of their own based on the information written at the time, and not information more recently written that has a so-called "filtered past" or that has been twisted and pulled in the direction of a storyteller's personal feelings or agenda. Please enjoy the site and feel free to write us should you have any questions or information.

Latest from Baltimore Police Historical Society

More in this category: « 1968 Riot Ribbon Baltimore Has a Roistering Past »
back to top