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Council authorizes access to Leeds Online transaction database for investigations
Summary
Evanston authorized an agreement to use Leeds Online LLC’s transaction-reporting and investigative platform to help locate stolen property across pawn shops and similar outlets; police said investigators trialed the system and found it productive for interstate leads.
The council voted to authorize an agreement giving the Evanston Police Department access to a commercial transaction-reporting system operated by Leeds Online LLC, which aggregates pawn-shop, secondhand and marketplace transactions to generate investigative leads.
Presenting the resolution (22-52), staff described how the system supplements existing entries in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) by allowing local investigators to search private-sector transaction records nationwide. “Our investigators used the trial software for a week, and they were all impressed with it,” staff said, describing an example in which a retailer in Las Vegas produced leads for an earlier theft case when data and images were matched.
Council members asked whether the system is similar to tools used elsewhere; staff confirmed Summit County and others use the platform and that private businesses can be added to the feed for free. The presenter said adding local pawn shops, secondhand dealers and other outlets will broaden investigative reach for property crimes in Evanston and across jurisdictions.
The resolution was introduced, seconded and approved by voice vote. The council did not read or record a roll-call tally in the transcript.
What the city approved: staff may integrate local participating businesses into the Leeds Online reporting stream and investigators may use the system as an additional investigative resource. The motion did not create new local law or mandate private participation; the presenter said the service could be provided to eligible businesses at no cost.
