Digital video coming to pawn shops

untitled-(2-of-7)A city council committee today approved a change that would require pawn shops to record transactions with digital video.

The public safety committee unanimously sent the ordinance to the full council for passage Thursday.

The video would have to show the face of the person selling or pawning the item and the item itself. The video would have to be retained for 10 days.

The 16 pawn shops in the city would also have to hold items pawned or sold to them for 10 days before selling them.

No pawn shop owners spoke against the measure, which was supported by police.

Councilman Scott Wagner said the change also protects the shop owners.

“This ordinance recognizes there are multiple victims potentially throughout the chain of custody for that piece of property,” he said.

The existing ordinance forbids people from being pawnbrokers even if they have municipal convictions or had been on any probation or parole in the last five years.

The new ordinance forbids it if they were convicted of any felony in the last five years or any offense involving burglary, theft, stealing or receiving stolen property.

It was the last meeting for that committee, which will change after the new council members take office Aug. 1.

Police Major Karl Oakman praised committee chair John Sharp, who is term limited out, for years of working with police and citizens to promote public safety.

“McGruff the crime dog has nothing on councilman John Sharp – he is the number one crime fighter in Kansas City,” Oakman said.

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