Press Release
Kern County Sheriff’s Department

The Kern County Sheriff’s Office is advising the public that there has been an increase in the thefts of musical instruments. So far this year 42 instruments were reported stolen in the metropolitan Kern County. There does not seem to be a specific brand or type, however, what we are seeing are mostly guitars (bass, electric, acoustic) and brass instruments, particularly saxophones.

We advise anyone having a musical instrument to have all the pertinent information on hand in case of theft; the brand, type, and most important, the serial number. All instruments, especially those of higher quality, will have a serial number. If you can not find it, call the instrument’s manufacturer and they can tell you where the serial number is located. Sometimes you will have to take the instrument slightly apart to find the number. If you happen to suffer the loss of an instrument, we advise you to report it to your local law enforcement agency. It helps us immensely having the serial number because we can then enter your instrument into the Stolen Property System, a nationwide system that assists law enforcement in identifying stolen property. If your instrument happens to end up in a pawn shop, we will eventually be notified of the location of your instrument. There is not much that we can do without the serial number in identifying your stolen property. The only exceptions are particular identifying markings or damage to your property which you identify to Deputies in the initial theft report. This applies to any stolen property.

If your instrument happens to be stolen and you do not have the serial number, we advise that you search out the local pawn shops and E-bay. If you think you have found your instrument, please contact law enforcement.