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Home My WebLink AboutEZ Pawnlf 23ru CE IV E P N BRIAN WINTERS E-Z PAWN INC 113 W 1ST ST STE B PORT ANGELES WA 98362 PHONE 360-452.9062 FAX 360.452.4009 ezpawninc@msn.com MAY 10 2018 Greetings: My grandfather and I have been pawnbrokers for 36 years in the city of Port Angeles. We are members in good standing of the Washington State Pawnbrokers Association and National Pawnbrokers Association. We donate time and resources to many charitable organizations and schools in our community. We do business with over twenty thousand customers from our area and from as far as Seattle. Our customers include pensioners living on social security, college students, business owners, families living paycheck to paycheck, and the homeless just trying to get something to eat. Many people do not have items of value to get loans on, so we frequently hand out Safeway food cards if we feel they are really in need. Almost all our customers are honest, hard working people who are just trying to get by. We fund folks in business ventures, help pay doctor bills, buy homes, and due to a long hard winter and rise in prices, many people have come in to get loans for their electric bills. lf you ever want to know what is hurting a community, just ask a pawnbroker. But, the honest customer is not the reason for this letter. There is an inherent risk in our business of buying, loaning and selling used goods. lt is the dishonest customer. lt is the thieves who try to fence stolen goods. 1 It is a common myth in our industry that we get a lot of stolen goods and even welcome it. This couldn't be further from the truth. We rarely get restitution for items that have been found to be stolen. I am out the item and the money I paid for it. We do everything we can to avoid taking stolen goods, both because we ourselves have no use for a thief and because it costs us money and time if we do end up with stolen goods. We faithfully follow the laws for pawnbrokers and second hand dealers in RCW 19.6, copies of which are attached here. We ask a lot of questions to try and establish ownership, and keep employees trained on this. We take pictures of the items and persons doing business with us, which is not required by law. lf you're not familiar with a pawn or buy transaction through licensed pawnbrokers, I will give you a brief description. You must have valid, unexpired state or federal l.D. to do a transaction. We write a complete description of the item which includes make, model, serial number, stone wei8ht, karat wt., weight, calibers, and gun types. All this is required by RCW 19.60.020. This information is printed on a contract or a buy receipt and kept for no less than 3 years, we keep ours for 8. A copy of this transaction is required by law to be given to our local police dept. (RCW 19.6.042) within 24 hours ofthe transaction. lf I buy an item I am required by law to hold the item untouched for 30 days prior to sale (RCW 19'6'050). ln Port Angeles we use electronic reporting known as L.E.A.D.S online. lt is used state and nationwide by law enforcement. The pictures we take of the items, which are not required, are also uploaded with these reports. All this is done to curb, catch and convict thieves. ln 2011, with the help of the Washington State Pawnbroker's Association, the RCW's were rewritten due to the increase in burglaries mostly due to the rise in gold prices. Overnight gold buyers were on every corner. Locally they were coming to the hotels, retirement homes and any place they could set up shop. Every jeweler and second-hand store was advertising they bought gold and silver. During this time I remember a tragic case of the theft of some very rare gold coins worth in the thirty thousand range. They were taken to Olympic Lodge where a gold buyer was set up and sold for only gold value. The buyer packed up and left the next day. I believe there is still an active case on this. Meanwhile, the only people keeping track of purchases were pawnbrokers. After the new laws were written, we personally helped the local police by providing gold for an undercover sting on a gold buyer at the Red Lion hotel after we found out they were not asking for l.D. for their purchases. Alocal second hand shop owner was convicted of buying known stolen goods and jewelry from an undercover police officer. Subsequently the gold buyers left, once they knew they had to follow some simple rules. 2 The most important part in the changes to the RCW 19.6 was the clarification under the definitions that there is no difference between a second hand dealer or second hand precious metals dealer and a pawnbroker other than the loan transactions. A second hand dealer means any person or entity engaged in whole or part in the commercial activity or business of purchasing, selling, trading consigning, or otherwise transferring value of second hand property. This also includes flea markets and swap meets if a person participates more than 3 times a year. Under RCW 19.6 an v oerson buvine, selling or nsienins used merchandise more than 3 t rmes a vear is reouired to do evervthine we do, everv dav, for everv transa ction thev make. Everv iewelry store, every gun store , antioue shop, anv store that deals in used or preowned merchandise period. Locally both Doc Nealy's gun store and Fred's Guns deal in used firearms. I had a Thompson firearm come through my store a few years ago that was stolen. The gun was purchased from Doc Nealy's gun store. But because I did the proper paperwork on it, not them, it was found and returned to the owner who personally came in and thanked me. Guess which store was out the 5300 dollars? These stores are not turning in reports on the used Suns they take in. Localjewelry stores advertise they buy, sell and consign used jewelry. Antique shops buy used merchandise gold and silver coins and jewelry. Reports are not being made and they are not using the electronic reporting required by police. Both music stores in Port Angeles deal in used musical instruments and equipment. The music store behind Baskin and Robbins has a huge sign on its window, BUY SELL TRADE. Walmart and Gamestop both buy used video games. Gamestop buys used video game systems. They are not reporting or recording anything. I get calls all the time about stolen video game equipment and games. Now lwill explain what has prompted this letter. Several months ago I was given by the Sheriff's Department a 23 page document listing 250 people I am not allowed to do business with. RCW 19.60.066 and .067 states a person being convicted of theft, robbery, or possession of or receiving stolen property is not allowed to do business with a secondhand dealer or pawnbroker for a period of ten years. lthinkthis is a great rule bythe way. lwelcomedit. lt 3 took most of a day for us to get the names entered into our database and block them. A few were already customers and I have since had a few come in that were on the list. What I object to is that as far as I know, I am the only business that has received this list. What is more astonishing is that the shops dealing in second hand merchandise I have checked with don't even know about these laws and that they fall under them' This must change. The laws are clear. lf you as a business, in whole or in any part, deal in second hand merchandise, you must follow the rules outlined in RCW 19.6. I am sick of being singled out unfairly. The only difference in our business and the others is that we offer the option of a loan as opposed to a buy so people can get their items back. Honestly ask yourselfthis question: lf you were a thiel would you fence your stuff at a place that lD's you, takes your picture, then sends all the information on your transaction to law enforcement, or would you sell it to a store that does none ofthis? The answer is obvious. My fallback solution, and I hope it doesn't come to this, would be for our company to seek redress through litigation. The RCW's make it very clear the same rules apply to second hand dealers and pawnbrokers. Yet I am the only one in our area being held to the reporting laws by our local law enforcement. I have spent thousands on up to date software to further that reporting. I keep up on all the state and federal laws regarding my business. I have thousands of records stored in my store that take up valuable space. lt is not right that others falling under the same statutes are not held to them. When we opened our new store in the county, we went to the commissioner's office to inform them the ordinances on their books did not meet the state standard for our business and had them toughened up. What business makes it harder on themselves to do business? A business that cares about its reputation and holds itself and others in their industry to a certain standard. 4 My preferred solution to the inequitable status quo would be for the county and the city to make it a priority to put all these stores on notice they must be in compliance with Rcw 19.5 and implement the electronic reporting program L.E.A.D.S. online within 60 days. lf they failed to comply their business license would be revoked. I would gladly sit down and volunteer my time and expertise to help in any way possible. Not only would this address the unequal treatment we presently receive, I believe it would 8o a long way toward solving property crimes in our communities. ln closing I would reiterate that I am more than happy to volunteer my time to help see a resolve in this matter. I can be reached at any time at work or via email. Respectfully, BRIAN WINTERS VICE PRESIDENT E-Z PAWN INC 5