If there is a theft, YES report it to the FBI immediately (the FBI has a
special agent in Philadelphia whose job is investigation of thefts from
museums. Your average agent or policeman won't know what to do). FBI Special
Agent Bob Wittman will help guide you through what to do if there is a
theft, including how to handle the press. They would prefer to handle the
press, I think, so media coverage cabe done in a way to help the
investigation.They are your advocates if there is a theft.  (There also is a
special agent in Los Angeles whose duty is to handle museum thefts in that
region.)

NOTE: Your chances of recovery are much improved the quicker it is reported.
Often the items have not traveled far physically.

While recovery rates are often low, once in awhile stolen items have been
found within 24 hrs. because they were located in the pawn shop around the
corner. That is a real case told to me by a museum staff person who
experienced it, not a second-hand account. That's just one example.


Also, the FBI has a former registrar who was hired to work with them and to
travel the country educating museums about this service. There is a
threshold value, I think it is $5,000, but ask them for the info. and
they'll be happy to help you, even before a theft or even if the values
involved are low. They'd like to help museums avoid experiencing thefts,
too.


Develop a policy and a plan of action NOW on how to deal with thefts, as it
happens everywhere, much more commonly than we like to admit. Yes, there
certainly is the delicate pr issue to handle appropriately; how to do that
needs to be part of your plan. But what a museum sees an embarrassing
negative can be turned into a positive, e.g, security is expensive and this
is a reason our museum needs more money.

Plus since we hold items in the public trust, it is our duty to do our best
to try and retrieve the items rather than let them disappear because we are
too embarrassed to admit publicly that our museum experienced a theft. I've
worked at several museums over the 25 years of my career, experienced thefts
and been involved in insurance, and believe me, we all experience a theft at
some point.

You may already know that firearms and weaponry are at the highest risk of
theft, whether on exhibit or in storage. And goods in transit.

The AAM Registrars Committee has a collection of sample policies and forms
of all sorts, and the AAM bookstore should have one or two books on sale
which are compilations of forms. Or you could borrow copies from other
museums or museum resource organizations, possibly including the Smithsonian
Museum resource library if it still exists. This should help you get
started.

Also, the Museum Council of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley did a
program on this very topic last year.

Nancy Powell
Executive Director
Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion
Philadelphia, PA

former registrar and curator of collections in a number of museums


-----Original Message-----
From: Gloucester County Historical Society <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, August 29, 2000 6:23 PM
Subject: Creating a policy for my historical museum in the areas of
deacessioning procedures and reporting thefts.


>I am a museum director in southern New Jersey.  The collecting focus
>of my site is the material culture of the Delaware Valley.  I am
>wrestling with the creation of two policy statements.  First, how and
>when inappropriate objects should be deacessioned from my museum.
>Secondly, if my museum is the victim of a theft, my Board is wondering
>who we should report the artifact theft to, or whether it would be in
>our site's best interests not to report thefts at all.  Your response
>is appreciated - this is my first time using this service.
>
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