Erie County has a new program designed to help track and retrieve stolen jewelry and other goods sold to pawn shops and second hand stores.
On Monday, County Executive Mark Poloncarz signed a law that sets new regulations for dealers. The countywide reporting program is designed to track the sale of valuables.
Under the new law, which piggy backs a City of Buffalo law, shop owners will require customers to present ID when looking to sell items, deny sales from anyone under the age of 18, and maintain detailed and accurate records of all transactions for at least five years.
The County Executive and many in law enforcement believe this law will hopefully be a big help for crime victims getting their stuff back.
“Probably 99 percent of the goods that are brought into these dealers are brought in by legitimate people who just want to turn their old gold over for cash,” Poloncarz told 7 Eyewitness News. “But we don’t want that one percent to take advantage of the loophole in the law and therefore be able to get away with theft.”
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