True.. I once had a bicycle stolen from me, which I had purchased from Walmart a couple years previous. I caught the perp myself and called the
state troopers to the scene.
The trooper told me..."If you are willing to give me the information from your credit card, I will check with Walmart".
He checked with Walmart, proved my case and I got my bike back. Never heard what happened to the perp..probably nothing..
Thanks for proving my point, IG. You'll notice that YOU had to VOLUNTARILY supply the trooper with your card info, and he then checked with Walmart......NOT your card issuer. The details were still on Walmart's system, but if the trooper had asked the card issuer, they wouldn't have been able to see if you had ever bought a bicycle......just the amount charged on a given day. The card issuer doesn't give a rat's patootie what you buy......only that you pay your bill in a timely manner. The details of what you bought, and the serial number of such (serialized) items are just so much gobble-de-gook to the card issuer.
And.....that was a trooper that went above-and-beyond. Most LEO's would have required you to prove ownership on the spot, and if you couldn't, then most likely would have sent you both on your way. MAYBE they might have confiscated the disputed item, and fixed you both up with a court date to argue your case(s).
Roger
I could be wrong, but I think you are complicating my explanation. All I was pointing out, is that such infornmation CAN be retrieved, and I was not concerned with the details of how.
Trooper going "above and beyond"? Actually, since I could not detain the youth who had my bike when I saw him, I called a friend who is a local constable who detained him.
The constable's powers only go so far, so we then called the troopers, whose station is about a mile from the scene. I figure that the trooper
was 'just doing his job'.
The bike was stolen from my front deck, during the night. I would liked to see the old man pay for hius blatant crime, but I never got any word
back.
The trooper station is on the north edge of our small hamlet. I expect that although I know some of the troops vaguely, I will soon get to know
them all better, since I will be a regular at my grandson's coffee shop...and law enforcement as well as first responders, when in uniuform, get
free coffee there.
'Course, grandpa does too...
BTW: The troopers have already expressed gratitude..and areanticipating the April 26 opening.