ONLINE ONLY: Williamsburg City Council votes to tighten rules on pawn shops

Williamsburg pawn shops will soon be required to have working security cameras on site and will have to upload data about purchases to a website within 24 hours of making it that police can have access thanks to a proposed city ordinance.

During its monthly meeting Monday, the Williamsburg City Council approved the first reading of a new pawnshop ordinance that sets a $1,000 bond for all pawn shops, and limits the hours that pawn shops can purchase items.

The pawnshops will also be required to keep a written record of whom they purchase items from, and who purchases items.
Williamsburg Police Chief Wayne Bird said that the new ordinance is partially due to the amount of stolen items being recovered by police.

"The ordinance just reemphasizes the state statute, but the video cameras and the bonds are something that we really need," Bird said. "We are recovering stolen property at an alarming rate at these pawn shops.

"Several of these pawn shops are not fully in compliance of the law. One particular pawnshop I just recently cited into court."
Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison said that the city’s previous pawnshop ordinance didn’t have much teeth to it, which in part prompted the new one.

"Other surrounding towns already have this," Harrison said. "We are not trying to pick on any of the pawn shops. We just want them to keep up with receipts and know where things come from."

City Attorney Greta Price said that the ordinance also protects pawnshop owners from buying stolen goods.

"It sounds like it is a lot, but in reality it protects a lot of people, and helps to recover stolen property," Price added.

The second reading of the pawnshop ordinance is planned for next month’s city council meeting, which is being moved from June 14 to June 21 at 6 p.m. A special city council meeting has also been set for June 24, but no time has been set yet.

Harrison said that the city council will have the first reading of its budget amendment ordinance during the June 21 meeting, and will have the second reading at the June 24 special meeting. The new fiscal year begins July 1.

In addition, the council heard from local Operation UNITE representative Adam Sulfridge, who spoke about initiatives being spearheaded by the program.

"Operation UNITE has selected Whitley County as one of several counties to emphasize efforts in during 2010," Sulfridge said.

One program being offered by UNITE locally is free training for the Neighbors United program, which is a neighborhood watch type program.’

"It teaches you what to look for. It provides numbers for who you actually call," Sulfridge said.

People interested in signing up for training for the neighborhood watch program can call Operation UNITE at (866) 678-6483.
Sulfridge added that UNITE is tentatively planning a large community rally for next month in Whitley County.

He added that several needles were found around town during recent PRIDE spring clean-ups, including ones found near local playgrounds, like the one at Briar Creek Park.

Sulfridge said that a group of parents have volunteered to walk Briar Creek Park once a month search for needles or other objects that might be dangerous for children.

Harrison said that he has contacted Kentucky Utilities about installing additional lighting at Briar Creek Park, which will hopefully cut down on people loitering at the park after hours and will hopefully prevent vandalism of the playground equipment there.

In other business, the council:

¥ Discussed several blighted structures in town, including one on Elm Street that the city will likely have to tear down.
Price noted that the property has a mortgage lien on it, and that there is a foreclosure action on it, which means that the city probably won’t be able to recoup the money spent to demolish it.

¥ Reappointed Johnny Brown to the Williamsburg Housing Authority’s Board of Directors.

¥ Approved the second reading of an ordinance closing a portion of Cumberland Avenue behind the Boswell Student Center from the viaduct to South Eighth Street.