Swap Shop Vote typical Middletown Fiasco
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Council
Forum Description: Discuss individual members and council as a legislative body.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2442
Printed Date: May 08 2024 at 2:44pm
Topic: Swap Shop Vote typical Middletown Fiasco
Posted By: wasteful
Subject: Swap Shop Vote typical Middletown Fiasco
Date Posted: Dec 15 2009 at 8:40pm
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The vote just held by the City Council on Swap Shops is typical Middletown backroom deals. Let me see if I understand this:
1) The crook steals the property of an innocent citizen and then gets paid for the items he stole by the swap shop. Crook makes out.
2) The swap shop gets nailed by the Police for INNOCENTLY buying stolen property and they get paid back by the innocent citizen that originally was victimized by the crook and now gets victimized by the city. You have got to love this. And the city wonders why they have such a bad rep among the citizens. Swap Shop owner, who may or may not have suspected the items were stolen, makes out by getting paid back by the innocent citizen. The innocent Citizen gets screwed twice, once by the crook and once by the City Admin and Council and swap owner who crafted the legislation in favor of the swap shop owners.
3) The icing on the cake is that this matter should have been tabled until a future meeting. The vote should not have been held with 3 council persons who are no longer accountable to the citizens of the city after tonight.
I agree with Ms Scott-Jones this fiasco does not pass the smell test from the City Admin. I hope she does not let this go and we see future legislation to protect the true innocent party in this mess.
I think every business in town should demand a meeting with the City so they they can get favorable legislation adopted after they help write it.
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Replies:
Posted By: rngrmed
Date Posted: Dec 15 2009 at 9:36pm
| This is not new. This is consistent with legislation that has been in place for years with pawn shops. |
Posted By: Mr.PawnBroker
Date Posted: Dec 16 2009 at 9:19am
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First.....swap shops are not pawn shops. They don't give loans. Pawn Shops hold purchased merchandise for 2 weeks before they sell it. Pawn Shops are required to provide police with copys of reciepts of everything they buy or make a loan on. Swap shops don't do that. And most of the time you know if the item is stolen. I've had many people bring in brand new stuff like shampoos and purfume and I tell them to leave. Most of these swap shops buy the stolen stuff and sell it at the flea markets on the weekend. Holding items 3 days isn't going to help and they probably won't even write a reciept so it can't be traced anyway. But again, swap shops are not pawn shops. A pawn shop is a legitimate business and has been for decades. |
Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Dec 16 2009 at 9:26am
So that idiotic piece of legislation passed ?? That is insane !! The people of this town should be outraged at these friggin idiots. 
I hope the three that voted for it gets their stuff stolen and has to buy it back from some shop. Friggin idiots. ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Dec 16 2009 at 9:33am
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Anita Scott Jones did the right thing and I agree with her “This does not pass the smell test”. This item should not have been voted on at last night’s meeting. |
Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: Dec 16 2009 at 12:23pm
Can you provide the code that covers swap shops? If it has been like this for years why did they need this piece of legislation?
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rngrmed wrote:Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Dec 16 2009 at 4:22pm
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How could a former police officer/chief support this legislation?
Why is a 40% lame duck Council voting on anything that could be carried over?
Why is Ms.Scott Jones the ONLY member of Council to display ANY common sense(despite the theatrics) any more?
I think Ms.Scott Jones should probably be the next Mayor, though Mr.Mulligan could still be a good Councilmember.
Another step towards downgrading theft as a criminal offense.
I doubt this statute would hold up to a SERIOUS legal challenge to rightfully retain one's stolen property.
Correct--swap shops are not pawn shops.
The swap shops now must go.
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Posted By: rngrmed
Date Posted: Dec 16 2009 at 5:48pm
not for swap shops, but it has been this way for pawn shops. As Mr.Pawnbroker stated, pawnshops have some tougher guidelines and usually know when things are stolen, but why should any of the rules be different for either place?
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Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: Dec 16 2009 at 10:46pm
Why should this law be in place for either type of business. You open this type of business and there are inherent risks and this is one of them. If you buy stolen property and the true owner is found that is your risk for dealing in this type of business. Swap Shop owner wants his money back go find the person he bought the stolen property from and take him to court. The innocent citizen should not be victimized twice, actually three times, once by the the thief, once by the city and once by the business owner.
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Posted By: rngrmed
Date Posted: Dec 17 2009 at 10:40am
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What is to stop a person from giving their merchandise to someone to pawn/sell and then come back themselves and say it was stolen so they can get it back for free?
Now the business is the victim. Is this a reasonable risk too?
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Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Dec 17 2009 at 11:37am
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Considering the small % of the item's value that would be paid by the re-seller, what would be the point of trying this?
There are risks involved with operating any business.
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Posted By: Mr.PawnBroker
Date Posted: Dec 17 2009 at 12:10pm
| Depends...if someone has a big diamond ring that has alot of value. People out there will try to run every scam they can at you. And by the time someone tracks down their stuff, most have turned it into their homeowners insurance. When this does happen most people are willing to pay for the item because 90% of the time its a family member who has stolen the items and they don't want to press charges. It won't matter because most of the swap shops won't keep records so the items will never be found anyway. I've testified a few times for the police to convict these theives. |
Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Dec 17 2009 at 12:33pm
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Is there a rule or law that when shops buy stuff they (the shop) have to check for "identifying" marks on merchandise ?
I engrave almost everything I own which I know it can be sanded or ground off, but on larger items why can't shops check for markings ? ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: Mr.PawnBroker
Date Posted: Dec 17 2009 at 1:26pm
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You should check for markings. If someone brings in a Drill with "Smith" engraved on it and there name is "Johnson" then you have to ask more questions. Could the drill be theirs...yes. Maybe they got it at a yardsale. You ask them where they bought it? How much did you pay for it new? If I think something is wrong then I pass on it. You have to investigate it the best you can and when you write up the reciept you describe all those features. But like on jewelry there are tons of the same stuff so its basically inpossible to tell. |
Posted By: Mr.PawnBroker
Date Posted: Dec 17 2009 at 1:31pm
| Here is another example. If I take a class ring I get the year, school, name on the ring and any other markings. That would be easy to track down. |
Posted By: rngrmed
Date Posted: Dec 17 2009 at 1:49pm
| If the average person can be arrested for receiving stolen property because they should have known it was stolen, why aren't pawn shops and swap shops held to this standard? |