Secondhand store owners criticize proposed rule changes

Nearly a dozen secondhand store owners voiced some displeasure with new rules aimed at curbing the flow of stolen goods through their shops.

Columbia’s Substance Abuse Advisory Commission listened as store owners, police and a frequent user of pawn shops commented on the draft ordinance that would change the way many secondhand stores in town would operate. City council member Michael Trapp pushed for the plan alongside the Columbia Police Department to help officers investigate burglaries, and stolen items that end up in pawn shops. Trapp said thieves will also seek out secondhand shops to quickly turn stolen items into cash, sometimes to satisfy a drug habit. Burglary numbers hit a decade high in Columbia last year, with more than 800 cases.

The new regulations include requiring stores to hold onto items sold to them for seven days, electronically record all transactions for police to see, taking pictures of each item and require a picture of all people who sell items to them. The rules would also require them to keep pictures or videos for a year before throwing it out.

Some store owners agreed with the spirit of the changes, but felt the rules were burdensome and costly. Gary Taylor of Music-Go-Round said holding items for seven days could have a serious negative effect.

“In fact, [it] could cause our store to go out of business, as I estimate it would cost me over 10,000 dollars per month to comply with this requirement,” Taylor said.

Neil Copeland with Play It Again Sports said his store took in 70,000 items in the first few months of the year, and taking pictures of each item would take several more employees to manage. They would also have a hard time holding items for a week before letting them back on the shelves.

“I mean that’s a storage room,” Copeland said. “I’m going to have to literally build somewhere to put that stuff.”

Pawn shops already require information, such as the seller’s name the item’s serial number, if available, to be reported electronically to a system the police can check – a state law passed in 2002. In Columbia, the two groups use LEADS Online. Many pawn shop employees spoke at Wednesday’s meeting that they hoped other secondhand stores would come up to those strict standards.

The police department, who helped draft the ordinance, will take the comments into consideration and rewrite the rules, Assistant Chief Jeremiah Hunter said. The Substance Abuse Advisory Commission may have another look at the rules before it goes to the city council as a report. That group would ultimately approve or reject any rule changes.