Oswego Eyes ‘Pawn Brokers’ Law

by Steve Yablonski | April 21, 2016 9:02 am

OSWEGO, NY – At this week’s Planning and Development Committee meeting, Kevin Caraccioli, city attorney, requested a discussion regarding proposed Local Law #3 of 2016 regarding Chapter 176, Pawn Brokers.

“This is a law we’ve all considered at one time or another, at least the councilors who here before. It’s something the county has thought about taxing, but hasn’t,” Mayor Billy Barlow said.

Thieves break into vehicles, steal electronics and other things and then try to sell them, he pointed out.

“What this does is give the police department a tool. They can go down to the local pawn shops and try to track down the stolen items. It requires a store to hold an item for a certain period of time. It requires the store to document the item that they have,” the mayor said.

He added that it is probably easier for thieves to come to Oswego (from communities that already have this type of law) and sell things.

“So we want to prevent that,” he said. “We’re asking our store owners to be a little more responsible and care about what items are passing through their hands. And to give city police the opportunity to recover stolen items and return them back to their owners.”

“What we’re asking for tonight is for the council to establish a public hearing so there will be full opportunity for the public to weigh in on it,” explained Caraccioli. Copies of the proposed law will be available for view, he added.

There is a record keeping requirement that is imposed under the law.

The proposal defines who is “a second hand dealer,” what constitutes second hand articles and other pertinent details.

It would also provide police with a time frame in which to investigate a report of stolen property.

“This would mandate that those shop owners maintain an inventory if they’re not doing it already. And, frankly, in our research, we found that many of them already are,” the attorney said. “This is not infringing on anyone’s rights. This is simply regulating the sale and exchange of second hand items.”

The law would not affect people who have garage sales or participate in flea markets, he said.

There is a permit fee and application process associated with the law.

“It is an annual permit and we are imposing through the adoption of this local law a permit of $250 per year and that is to help defray some of the expenses that the city incurs in investigating charges of stolen property,” Caraccioli said. “So there is a cost for implementing this legislation. But, we believe it is an appropriate cost.”

The committee gave a favorable recommendation to the proposal.

If approved by the full council, the public hearing would be set for 7:10 p.m. May 9 in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 13 W. Oneida St.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego/oswego-eyes-pawn-brokers-law/

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