It is always better to report it. There is always a chance, no matter how remote, that your item will be found. If you don't report it stolen, the police have no way to get a found or recovered item back to the owner and it will sit in evidence until it is destroyed or sold (depending on state law or department policy). If this item had a serial number and you had that number available, it should already be entered into the national database.
In your case, you also have some information on the possible suspect which is something most people can't provide. Without knowing what kind of personal information you had on the suspect, I can't tell you how likely finding the person will be but it definitely helps.
Sadly, some officers think theft complaints like these are a waste of time. There are many different reasons for this but none of them good enough to justify the behavior.
My advice to you is to follow up on your case. Call the officer every three or four weeks and see if any progress was made. Make sure the department knows that you care about your case and expect results. If you continue to get the "I have better things to do" attitude, call back and ask to speak with the officer's supervisor.
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A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. Calvin
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