Tracking pawned goods

March 24, 2006

DARRELL L. BREESE/Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - Mat-Su Borough Assemblyman Jim Colver announced his plans to develop an online registry for use by pawn shops and law enforcement Thursday to address the growing number of thefts reported in the Valley.

&#8220We have a burglary problem that is driven particularly from the use of meth,” Colver said. &#8220That leads to a need to get quick cash, meaning more stolen property. If we make it more difficult for someone to pass stolen property off as their own we'll be able to take a bite out of the problem.”

Colver's plan is twofold, first he want to establish a special class of business licenses for pawn shops and then require them to log all property they take in an online registry that will be used by law enforcement to track down stolen property.

His plan is similar to one used in Anchorage, but it includes a few additional features. The registry would be done via a Web-based platform, keeping the cost of maintenance and startup to a minimum. It also calls for the special business license.

Clay Kedzior, manager of Alaska Far North Pawn in Wasilla, said he has seen an increase number of people from Anchorage at his store.

&#8220We get so much from Anchorage that the Anchorage Police Department comes out two or three times a month,” Kedzior said.

&#8220Crime is happening in Anchorage and the criminals are coming out here to dump what they steal,” Colver said. &#8220Without a means of tracking the items pawned, there is little to prevent the criminals using the Valley as a dumping ground for stolen goods.”

While it would require extra work to register each item on the proposed system, Kedzior and Jay Minnick from A-1 Pawn both endorsed the plan.

&#8220We would support it 100 percent,” Minnick said. &#8220We already provide the Wasilla police with a disk listing all of our transactions every week. To be able to do it online would be wonderful and we would cooperate.”

&#8220People have a bad image of the pawn business,” Kedzior said. &#8220They tend to think that we are slick, shady and sleazy. That is not the case. We are law-abiding citizens for the most part and I can't imagine any reason not to support a plan like this, or cooperating with law enforcement to cut down crime.”

If passed by the assembly, the online registry would apply to all pawn shops located outside the cities of Houston, Palmer and Wasilla.

&#8220I've talked with Mayor Dale Adams from Houston and John Combs from Palmer and they are both supportive of the plan,” Colver said. &#8220They indicated that they would support passing a similar program in their communities.”

Colver was joined by Wasilla City Council Members Marty Mativa and Mark Ewing, who both supported the idea as well.

Work is being done to piece together the final version of the legislation and to iron out the details, but Colver hopes to have something ready for assembly consideration in the next couple of weeks.

Colver also envisions the idea as a step in the right direction to curb crime in Southcentral Alaska.

&#8220This is something that could be a part of the Tri-Borough Commission partnership the borough has with Anchorage and Kenai,” Colver said. &#8220It is tailor-made for that. But I want to do what I think is right and good for the people of the borough.”

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