Albany lawmakers aim to prevent stolen goods brought to pawn shops

While pawn shops serve as reliable businesses that consumers can go to to obtain alternative finance, there are some customers who bring in stolen goods to sell. County officials in Albany, New York have proposed a law that would impose stronger regulations on the region's pawn shops, according to the Times Union. The bill has been put forth because of the recent rise in robberies in the Albany area, and it will require pawn shops to report exchanges to police in the hopes of stopping the trade of stolen goods. Shop employees would have to electronically report transactions within two days, and the shops would also not be allowed to sell secondhand goods in the first 10 days. This would allow police to confiscate any items which have recently been reported stolen, says the newspaper. Several pawn shops in New Hampshire have been collaborating with local police authorities to report stolen goods and arrest the alleged thieves, reports the Eagle Tribune. In the past month, police have arrested four people in connection with attempting to sell stolen property to pawn shops. The shops have been turning in the sellers' photo identification to police, which is required by law, and this information has led to the recent increase in arrests due to peddling stolen goods, says the news source.