Stolen Article inquiries may be conducted using which identifiers?

Stolen Article inquiries may be conducted using which identifiers?

• A. Serial Number only
• B. Serial Number or Owner Applied Number
• C. Serial Number, Owner Applied Number, or both
• D. Date of theft

Answer: (C)

Identifying stolen items relies on identifiers that can be checked against records. A serial number is a unique code assigned by the manufacturer and is typically the most reliable lookup key. An Owner Applied Number is any number the owner assigns for their own inventory control; it may be engraved, stamped, or labeled on the item. In stolen-article inquiries, you can search using either the serial number, the owner-applied number, or both. This flexibility matters because some items may have one identifier but not the other, and having both increases the chance of a match. The date of theft provides context but isn’t a unique lookup key, so it doesn’t function to locate a record. Therefore, inquiries may be conducted using either the serial number, the owner-applied number, or both.

Identifying stolen items relies on identifiers that can be checked against records. A serial number is a unique code assigned by the manufacturer and is typically the most reliable lookup key. An Owner Applied Number is any number the owner assigns for their own inventory control; it may be engraved, stamped, or labeled on the item. In stolen-article inquiries, you can search using either the serial number, the owner-applied number, or both. This flexibility matters because some items may have one identifier but not the other, and having both increases the chance of a match. The date of theft provides context but isn’t a unique lookup key, so it doesn’t function to locate a record. Therefore, inquiries may be conducted using either the serial number, the owner-applied number, or both.