(a) All pawnbrokers and all secondhand and junk dealers shall keep records of the identity of all persons with whom he or she does business and records of all property coming into his or her possession as required by Public Act 273 of 1917 and Public Act 350 of 1917, respectively. If not otherwise required by the applicable Public Act, the records shall include a photo of the property and shall keep a copy of the operator’s license, chauffeur’s license, or state identification card, or if none of those are available, a photo of the customer.
(b) No later than October 1, 2013, all reports required by law, along with the other information required under subsection (a), must be electronically transmitted to the Chief of Police within twenty-four hours, by means of electronic transmission through a modem or similar device in such a format that the data is capable of direct electronic entry into the Battle Creek Police Department’s computerized system approved by the Chief of Police. A transaction reported by electronic transmission under this subsection shall not be reported on paper forms unless the Chief of Police so requests.
(c) A person need not report electronically transactions taking place at a business location where the number of buy, consignment, or pawn transactions in each ninety day period does not exceed ten. A person reasonably believing a location at which he or she conducts business qualifies under this subsection for exemption from computerized reporting and wishing to be exempt from the requirements of this section shall sign, under penalty of perjury, a declaration to that effect in a form developed by the Chief of Police or the Chief’s designee, and once the declaration is signed, so long as the volume of transactions does not exceed ten each ninety day period, transactions taking place at that business need not be reported electronically, but shall be reported on paper forms and include all other required information.
(d) All licensees required to do so under this Chapter must commence electronic reporting to the Battle Creek Police Department within thirty days of the effective date of this Ordinance.
(e) If another time is not specifically provided by applicable statute, the articles purchased or exchanged by a Secondhand Goods and Junk Dealer or Pawnbroker shall be retained by the purchaser for at least fifteen days before disposing of them, in an accessible place in the building where the articles are purchased and received. A tag shall be attached to the articles in some visible and convenient place, with the number written thereupon, to correspond with the entry number in the book or other record.
(Ord. 20-88. Passed 11-29-88; Ord. 10-2013. Passed 9-17-13.)