Pawn debate

March 31, 2006

DARRELL L. BREESE

Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - Pawn dealers across the Valley have expressed qualified support of the idea of an online registry for merchandise to help law enforcement recover stolen property, as proposed by Mat-Su Borough Assembly member Jim Colver last week.

While recognizing the proposal's benefits, some believe it falls short of addressing the real problem of home burglary, and creates a whole new set of legal issues itself. Some believe the registry is a roundabout way of making the shop owners do the job of the police, and others are reluctant to release their customer lists.

&#8220I'm all for a system that would work,” said Steve Stewart, owner of Alaska Best Pawn in Palmer. &#8220But this plan introduced by assemblyman Colver raises some constitutional questions.”

Stewart said the Alaska Constitution ensures an individual's right to privacy, adding that he thinks the proposed law is a clear violation.

&#8220I would have a problem giving the police, or anyone else for that matter, a full list of my customers,” Stewart said. &#8220Any shop that would give a full dump of their customer list to the police is violating the Constitution.”

He said he has no problem giving police access to a list of merchandise taken in at his store, but he would insist on a case number if they want to know about a customer.

&#8220Without a valid reason, they have no right to customer information,” Stewart said.

He indicated that Alaska is one of seven states that ensures individual privacy rights in its Constitution.

He also said an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in San Francisco said giving out personal information is a violation of those rights without the police clearly establishing cause.

John Heck, owner of Alaska Frontier Northern Pawn in Wasilla, believes the proposed registry is simply a Band-Aid, and an attempt to shift responsibility to a group of business owners.

&#8220While it is a good idea, it's not going to do anything to curb the property crime in the Valley,” Heck said. &#8220Where are the police? Until you get neighborhood patrols, there is nothing holding the criminals back.”

In conversations with local law enforcement officers, Heck determined that, at most, there are six police on duty (two troopers, two Wasilla police and two Palmer police) in the late-night hours when many crimes are happening.

&#8220They are so busy stopping speeders and drunk drivers that they don't patrol the communities,” he said.

Both Heck and Stewart agree that a registry is a good first step, but without a dedicated increase in police officers investigating property crimes, the number of thefts will continue to increase.

&#8220I had a state trooper tell me that they are behind in recording reported stolen items about 10 to 12 months,” Stewart said. &#8220If that is the case, the registry won't do any good; the stolen property will be gone.”

&#8220Implementing a registry that just applies to pawn shops falls short,” Heck continued. &#8220Unless thrift stores and second-hand shops, which deal in purchased or consigned items, are also forced to participate as well, it will solve nothing. They have to plug all the cracks.”

Heck wondered why the police can get state and federal funding to increase drunk driving and traffic patrols all the time, but cannot get the funding necessary to increase community patrols.

&#8220I recognize it is a crime not to use your turn signal, failing to stop at a stop sign or to drive drunk,” Heck said.

&#8220But why can't they place some emphasis on preventing and investigating home break-ins and property theft?”

Heck offered a solution, adding that he would support the establishment of a boroughwide police department, as proposed by Mayor Tim Anderson last fall.

&#8220That would really go a long way to truly solving the problem,” Heck said. &#8220But it would need to be a department with an elected sheriff. I believe people have lost trust in the appointed police chiefs protecting their fellow officers.”

Contact Darrell L. Breese at 352-2267 or at darrell.breese@ frontiersman.com.