they SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING IT already, since they are a natural fence for property stolen from the PUBLIC, yes and do a serialized listing of your property otherwise you may not get it back.

Since when @MyOpinion4U - has it been a businesses place to police their customers? I understand the need for this I am even sympathetic to this, the problem I see here is the simple issue of where does this stop?

Not policing the customers @wouldn't be prudent - Policing their suppliers.

Read it again. @Muskrat McDougal - "Pawn shop owners in American Fork are going to have to keep better records of who's buying *and selling*."
"Now, not only do pawn shops have to record the names and addresses of *people that buy* and sell there, they have to record a physical description of the person, as well."

Well, duh @DR DON - So if your diamond ring is pawned and someone buys it for $50, you don't want a chance to recover it?

Gubmit fear, again.

TAKE NOTE: @Layton Mom - Not only does a pawn shop take the name, address, city, state, and zip, they also take a FINGERPRINT!
A copy of every transaction is turned into the police every 30 days. You can't say that about any other business now can ya!

Stuff happens, get over it. It's not the pawn shop's fault, it's the criminal who stole it. Most pawn shops are legit businesses who cooperate with the police anytime there's an issue. Next time you see a police car parked at a pawn shop, stop in and see if they are investigating a crime or "shooting the bull" with the owner. Chances are, it will be the latter.

Instead of beating up the business, who like it or not is a life-line for many folks, let's start punishing the crooks so they don't steal in the FIRST place.

Problem solved, no new laws are needed.

amendments are needed! @Non_Mbr - The problem - the pawn shops do NOT keep record of who bought the stuff from the pawn shops and the hold needs to be upped from 10 days to 30 days.

The pawn shops even don't except for American Fork, keep record of descriptions of those who sold to the pawnshops.

I don't know if this @Wd - will be a good idea - think of all the Oxycotton driven pawn transactions that will turn up good god-fearing motards that are stealing the stuff! This might tarnish the fabricated image that the club is trying to portray to people outside the cult!

@Orginizdbix - Very ignorant comment...if you dont like the place move.... Its "OXYCONTIN" goofy!

Hello "DISCOUNTFIREARMS". @DISCOUNTFIREARMS - I got a kick out of how you corrected the spelling in your reply above. Search through all your replies in the all the discussion threads above and below. You may know the pawnshop business but I hope your spelling, punctuation, and grammar isn't representative of the quality of pawnshop records. Since when is "uneducation" a word?

Good, @255 - Glad you found it amusing...I did.

Pawn Shops @Non_Mbr - You my friend are wrong. Pawn transactions are reported EVERY DAY. Stolen item should be sold to Antique Dealer who are not required to collect customer information.

Misread... @William M. - I think what Wd is saying is Pawn Shops DO NOT keep track of who BUYS the items they are selling. That's true. No other store does that, either.

If a customer had to come in and give name, address, physical description for every person who made a purchase, just think how long it would take to buy a CD. The buyer would just go to a music store instead of providing tons of personal information.

I presume the idea is that the original owner would like to go beat up the new owner of their belongings and demand it back.

It isn't going to happen. SOMEWHERE along the line, criminal charges will be filed and restitution will be paid. Courts don't care about the sentimental value of something, only the real USED value.

Keeping track of EVERYTHING that is sold would be a records NIGHTMARE.

Although we DO THAT for guns. If you'd like the same kind of Brady bill rules for EVERYTHING purchased from a pawn shop, that's just crazy. Also pawnshops could complain they are being treated differently than other businesses that do trade-ins and buy stuff... so ALL stores that take a trade-in or exchange would also have to do the same.

No way! @DR DON - If I have to be recorded every time I do business I won't do any there. I don't shop at Smiths with their card because I don't want someone else tracking every move I make, including how much tooth paste, what type, how often etc. It's none of their @$!% business.

@Outlaw Red - Go back to your cabin in the hills and finish your mainfesto.

After all it is fall @Frog Goggles - time for the nuts to go gather squirrls for the winter.

Well... @wouldn't be prudent - When you have a business that by it's very nature encourages the theft of property, the business should have rules that they must abide by. At the very least pawn shops should be required to document who sells items, take their photo, and list all serial numbers in a data base. This would assist in the recovery of a large portion of property that is stolen.

Have you ever had to file a police report because your property was stolen? If so, I'll bet your property was never recovered. How helpful were the police? They know there is little hope of finding stolen property and feel it is a waste of thier time.

I had tools and other items stolen from my truck. There was clearly finger prints on the window from the person who broke in. The police would not even bother collecting the finger prints. They felt it was a waste of time and said the likelyhood of recovering my stuff was too slim to bother.

Lucky for me, I had an insurance policy that covered the tools for my business. But unfortunately the bad guys are out there stealing again... maybe you are next.

I had the same very thing happen @Enlightened One - the crooks took everything out of my truck, right down to my manual. my first instinct was to go lookin at the local pawn shops.

As far as i am concerned, the majority of pawn shops are as crooked as the criminals that stole my stuff. I do my part of policing the pawn shops by not shopping at them.

@Skullanchor - Crooks don't steal because of pawn shops. Even with this story, it was a friend of the family who robbed them, not the pawn shop. That person could have easily sold it to the drug dealer instead of pawning it for drug money.

Go check out a pawn shop before you pass judgement. For the most part you will find a legit business who gives loans to people for "their" stuff in a time of need. These same people would not be able to pay their rent, car payment, or eat without the pawn shop. Additionally, you can usually get a handy tool, a video game, a computer, a GPS, or anything else you could think of at a reasonable price, which amazingly most people don't seem to complain about.

Don't confuse the crooks with the pawn shop, they have no way of knowing if the item is stolen or not, but if it is, the pawn shop normally loses in the deal.

encourage theft??? @Enlightened One - You obviously are not aware that Utah has a statewide database for all pawned and sold items in a pawnshop. Pawnshops are required to hold sold items for 10 days after the buy and 30 days on a pawned item. There may be a few dishonest pawnshops out there but trust me, most are not in it to help the criminals. Sure, they may get stolen goods turned in but they also are required to get (and record) positive picture ID, get a thumb print of the customer, take serieal numbers on any item that has it, report this to the statewide data base daily. Not to mention most pawnshops will have the customer on video. So that encourages theft how?

well...almost. @Enlightened One - To pawn an item in the state of Utah you are required to have a state issued ID, leave your thumb-print and signature on a document (pawn ticket) that states the property is yours to sell 'free from claim by any party other than yourself.' Subsequently, a description of the item is forwarded to a state database where the police are able to search by description, model, and serial number. This is already the law; this tool is already available to the police, and the pawnshops are the entities who pay for its maintenance, in both dollars and labor.
"by it's very nature" pawnshops are the last resort for a great many people and have been for a very long time (centuries). Because the service we offer is convenient and inexpensive (compare it to bounced check charges or even worse, payday loan fees) we are the first choice for an even greater number of people whose day/week/month left them financially vulnerable.
Currently any number of online auction/sales sites (eBay/craigslist/ksl) offer undocumented opportunities to buy and sell items that are forever more 'out of the loop'. Perhaps you should reconsider your stance on the entities (pawnshops) who work with the police -and provide for them a great tool- most closely to help reacquaint you with your lost/stolen property by their "very nature". Enlightenment is a wonderful thing...if you avail yourself of a fuller picture.

Hey now 12street!!! @12street - Payday lenders generally charge similar rates as pawnshops in terms of APR.

HOWEVER, PAWN SHOPS get away with charging the pawn fee whether the borrower uses the loan for 1 day or 30 days with no possibility of a fee rebate. Payday lenders are REQUIRED BY LAW to pro-rate the loan when paid in full... so if the loan is used for less than 30 days, it is ENTIRELY possible the payday loan could have a lower fee than a pawn loan.

Unless you are a pawn lender that pro-rates your fees, don't make the comparison to payday lenders being "worse than pawn shops". They are pretty much the same thing.

So it's OK to knowingly receive stolen property? @wouldn't be prudent - Well...thank you for displaying YOUR morals.

You people. You're so afraid of the "gubmint" -- and yet we see the most unethical, immoral and dishonest comments coming from you.

Afraid of gubmint + "policing thievery" = guilty of it

Read again... @Layton Mom - I didn't say they knowingly take stolen items, I just said they probably get some in. It's not like the items come in with neon lights on them that say "this item is stolen". Most pawnshops do there best to make sure if they do receive in a stolen item that they have done whatever they can to make sure the righful owner gets it back (by logging it to the database, getting a thumb print and having the ID of the customer so they can be charged and convicted).

Prudent, @wouldn't be prudent - I like your comment...

Why is it the responsibility of any citizen to police another citizen?...!!!
Cigarettes?
Booze?
It is a complete farce when someone doesn't check an I.D. and a minor buys cigarettes and they are the guilty party for selling the items.
What a joke?
I think schools should check for sex offenders working at schools. But that is a government and community situation.
I have had tens of thousands stolen and pawned at shops.
Recently, I had an employee steal $12,000 in tools.
They where pawned. I have a police report.
Not one pawn shop that was investigated had my tools.
I told my guys that no one would get in trouble if they would privately talk to me about the tools.
I explained I had no hard feelings and I just want my tools back. I also said I would pay for the pawned balance and no one would get in trouble with the law.
I had an employee come forward and admit fault.
We went to 6 different pawn shops to get my tools.
The disgusting thing is that the Sherrif's department went into some of these stores and they didn't find my tools. I have serial numbers and video of all my tools. The sleaze ball pawns lied. I really don't care. I got my tools back, but the employee lost his job with my company.

Smells like... @LaBelle - Sounds kinda fishy that the police went to every pawn shop looked at all the items on the shelves yet couldnt match them or the serial #s with the ones you had on the police report. So the police just walked out empty handed yet you were able to find your stuff...Stinky Fishy!!! Dont know about the other pawn shops...but if the police come into ours within the 10/30 timeframe and we hand it over... if its past that timeframe and we still have it...we hand it over.

Discount @DISCOUNTFIREARMS - Million dollar pawn.
This is "one" who had my equipment and it was purchased back Thursday.

I bought back $3800.00 in tools for under $500.00.
Now I have two receipts to show they are my tools.

No Stinking Fishes here.
I talked with the Sheriff's deputy yesterday, because of this story, I had a very good discussion and charges maybe filed on two other pawns I have not mentioned.

I also did not say that they went to every pawn shop. It was the ones they investigated.

Just to make my point... I think some pawns are good and other are stinking fish.
Discount guns is not one of them.
You guys have a decent business.

Just to mention a point here, I do not have insurance to cover tools. The insurance company that I carry will only match money I pay to them for my tools. So I figured I was buying them twice and I was probably ahead spending my money a second time when my tools ended up missing.

Million Dollar Pawn, huh? @LaBelle - Do you have any idea how many police departments complain about goings on there? THE STORIES I could tell.

Not to mention that at least one person I know of... ME ... has turned them in as a competitor for OBVIOUSLY BREAKING the law.

WHY would I do that annonymously? I, as competition, can't compete with a lawbreaking pawnshop. IT PAYS MY business to turn them in and keep their nose clean. I have no problem at all competing with other law-abiding pawnshops when we are all on the same playing field.

(I'm encouraging HONEST pawnshops to turn in ILLEGAL practices of their competition any time they can prove it.)

Do you have ANY idea HOW FAST the State Commerce Department got back to me to inform me they took care of the problem? :) Fast.

RooBah @Roobah - In 1996 they (million dollar pawn) had $9600.00+ of my tools there. We went there several times to find my tools. Luckily I had numbers. They denied having them when I first went in. I guess they guy they later busted pawned at the shop. It just frustrates me that they take a pawn in and then lie to others about having them. They were caught, because I did not give them a complete list of my tools. They sold some and I turned them in to the Cops when I happened to notice some of my tools there. I guess you need to use Cops to help you . Back then I just walked in with a quick list I had made. Then I asked for them to look if they had any tools from my list.

You can imagine the rest of the story.

It just pisses me off that I get things stolen and then lied to by the guys who bought them.

Labelle @LaBelle - ..I work in a Pawnshop but I completely understand what you are going through. My wifes ring got jacked when we lived in another state. We had pictures of it and went to some of the pawn shops...the closest we got was one said that someone try to offload it at a shop near our house but they didnt take it in...Who knows. We eventually took the insurance money and had a similar ring made like it.
If someone comes into our shop and says they had something stolen and pawn there...We advise them to
1 Do a police report.
2 Have the police look up the item to see if we have it. We send a report to them everyday so they should be able to unless they are lazy
3 If we have it the police should come down or fax us a "HOLD ITEM" form and pick up the item...We are happy to give stuff back.
But if someone comes in and says thats my ... on the shelf...it wont fly you have to have proof and the police have to say...hey thats his item or else we wouldnt have a business to work with. just a little insight to how we deal with that situation.

you dont know much about pawn shops @MyOpinion4U - im not sure how much you all know about pawn shops. First off we have always been required to record there D.O.B. , Eye Color, Race, Height, Weight, And Sex. The only real change is the there can only be 1 pawn shop per 12,000 residence. Also we have always been required to record all serial numbers off of items that have them, and if they are scratched off or removed the item is not taken in. A pawn shop is a honest and legal business if the owner operates it that way. Its the owners who do illegal acts that ruin it for the rest of us. For that most owners serve prison time for it. We do not promote theft of items, although stolen items do come in. We are more than happy to release the stolen items if it is proven that they are stolen. I am sorry if I have offended anyone but, I think it is the lack of understanding of pawn shops that give you the opinion you have.

@Leann W. @Leann W. - Thank you for spelling it out truefully. If someone needs a extra buck to make it to the next paycheck, GO TO A PAWN SHOP, HAWK something , you can get it back in 30 days with a smaller interst rate then what the Repubs Pres EVANS charges at his loan shark company charges ( Payday Loans)

Whatever @Leann W. - If you want to [removed] for the sake of your career, that's your business. But when it drives up the crime rate in my neighborhood, it becomes my business. You should be shut down, every one of you.

Another @Pirate - Uneducated person making a comment. If you want the crimerate to go down in your neighborhood...Do something about it dont just sit there watching Oprah... Get out there police the neighborhood and be poactive...there arent enough police to do this. Be Proactive especially with your children... so they dont become addicts. Keep records of your possesions and regularly...if its such a big deal that you display your ignorance for all to see. And for the love of Pete...SHUT AND LOCK your dang garage doors. This is UTAH...but you still have to protect yourself.

@MyOpinion4U - if you have a $10,000 dollar ring.. PUT IT IN A SECURE SAFE THAT CAN NOT BE MOVED OR KEEP IT OUT OF SIGHT. I know it sucks he broke in your house, Not arguing that.. but come on.. common sense here. Don't leave something that valuable sitting around to be easily accessible or stolen. All you needed was a safe hidden out of sight, even better HIDE IT.. I can think of 50 places to hide a ring.. Put it in a sock in your drawer... Etc etc etc.. If you have the money to buy a 10K ring, you should have the money and common sense to have a home security system and somewhere safe to keep your valuables.

They should require a more detailed description of what was @MyOpinion4U - sold to the pawn shop. My brother-in-law stole my father's tools which were clearly marked with a brand, plus painted powder blue.

They were in storage, so I didn't find out they were missing for a couple of months. We checked the pawn shops with the intent of pressing charges, but the only record was of him selling "various tools", which was too vague to have any value as evidence. They were clearly not his tools. Any honest pawnbroker would have looked at just one of the wrenches closely and seen the brand etched onto the tool. He could have easily described it on the manifest.

Lame topic to discuss. Knock it off right now before this gets out of hand.

Russian Fork There is nothing American about Russian Fork. Just don't have anything to do with the place!

Hey Fed @Federal Reserve is PRIVATE - Would you consider buying a forclosed house or a repo'd car at a really great price? Same thing. Someone is in a bad situation.

Yes someone sadly loses when pawning but maybe their circumstances are so bad that they need a small amount to keep lights on or food for the kids. Then someone like you resorts to name calling, "Dumb DESPERATE person", and "LOOKS EVEN MORE LOSER-ISH". Who are you to judge?

Your final statement is beyond silly. ..."Pawn shops carry overpriced junk. I know guys who shop there for "good deals" on guns. Never pans out."... I've never pawned anything but I've save hundreds by buying name brand items in terrific shape and at a small percentage of the new price.

Please don't comment on things you obviously know nothing about.

yep, thats it @Federal Reserve is PRIVATE - .

And this post shows..... @Federal Reserve is PRIVATE - that the author is the dumbest of all...
This is how it works in our shop....
Person walks in and wants to do a loan/pawn. Lets say a 400.00 Citizen watch bought at a retail store.
Pawn Worker: How much do you need
Person: Well I paid 400.00 for it.
PWorker: Well lets see what its worth..(Looks up completed items on EBAY = GLOBAL MARKET VALUE)
PWorker: Well right here the SAME watch Sold NEW IN THE BOX for 200.00(shows the person the screen)... A used one sold for 150.00 (Shows the person the screen). Says to the person: "We can give you half of what we can sell it for and since yours is not NEW IN THE BOX we can only give you about 75.00 for it.
PWorker then lets the the person decide if they want to try selling it on their own and get the most possible value out of it, and we didnt even call them Dumb or Desperate. Look at that.
This Scenario happens on everything tha comes into our shop. If you think Im lying about the prices of that Fancy retail item you paid good money for at a retail store. Do a model search for it on EBAY and try to hold your lunch in as you realize you paid WAY too much for it.
You know Federal Reserve...ITS OK THAT YOU ARE UNEDUCATED TOO YET MAKING A COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT....many poeple have so far...why should you be different.
And as far as Guns are concerned...We give buyers three days to go out and check fire their guns purchased from us. That is plenty of time. If it doesnt work we are happy to take it back even though our official policy is "sold as is"
Hey Reserve...get off the couch and come on down...we'll educate you.

Could This have anything to do with the other American Fork Pawn shop case KSL has been covering?

Think those 'loopholes' got that pawn shop owner off the hook?

This stuff..... @Wondering..... - is happening exactly because of that guy. The police have halled him away several times. We have heard from customers that have pawned with him that said sometimes he does stuff under the table. HE should be the one paying the price for his dishonesty... Not the shops who are doing business legit. Yet he keeps walking and his doors continue to stay open. Check the system thats failing not the honest shops.

DISCOUNTFIREARMS @DISCOUNTFIREARMS - Have you and the other AF pawn shop gotten together to try and get this guy shut down? Maybe with your insight into the pawn business and knowledge of those who have pawned with him under the table, you could testify against him?

Or at least take your knowledge to the police.

And help to clean up the reputation of all pawn shop dealers in AF.

Has this guy always been this dishonest? Or is it since he opened his new shop?

This guy has several counts of money laundering against him from his last transactions with stolen gift cards. Along with the previous charges against him.

Think he will get any jail time?

In KSL's last reporting of this pawn shop owner, it seems as though the AF police are aware of his illegal activities and are trying to do something about it.


Who do you think will be the pawn shop that has to close it's doors with this last ruling of the AF City council?

And, finally, with all the times this guy has been arrested and on the news for illegal activities, why is anyone still walking through his doors even though they are still open?

He's the last person I'd do business with.

Wondering,.. @Wondering..... - The Police are aware of his dealings...and we have spokent to them about it. Why he continues to stay open and free....we have no clue. >>>Why would a guy who has a warrant for his arrest have the county fugitive task force and the U.S. Marshalls break down the door and haul him away only to be let out less than three days later...Another story...but you get my point. The System needs a Check...as far as the guy that is still doing business...strictly hearsay but we've been told he has been evicted several times from that location and others...yet uses the faulty system to stay to the very last day.
The only thing I can think of is the people who still do business with him are either unaware...or dishonest and like it??????????

DISCOUNTFIREARMS @DISCOUNTFIREARMS - Thank you so much for your thoughts and insight.

What do you think will happen now that the city council has ruled that there can only be two pawn shops in AF?


How will they decide which business will have to leave?

Do you think the guy we've been referring to will wind up with any jail time?

It simply amazes me that one person can get nailed with a speeding ticket, yet this guy can get away with buying gift cards that he knew were stolen.

Pawn SHOPS are WILLING partners in theft crime BECAUSE THEY GET THE STUFF FOR A DIME ON THE DOLLAR and then MARK IT UP, so of course they dont want keep records and stop thiefs from selling them HOT MERCHANDISE. Are you people for REAL, you actually want it to be legal to aid and abet CRIMINALS ripping US ALL OFF.

You're just jealous @MyOpinion4U - You wife doesn't give her househusband a big enough allowance to go anywhere but the dollar stores.

Sorry MyOP4U @MyOpinion4U - I tried to be funny and wasn't.

I guess... @MyOpinion4U - that means if I buy something at a yard sale for a dime on the dollar and resale it later at a higher price I am helping all the criminals?

Know the facts before you spout off!

the SUBJECT IS PAWN SHOPS @1234 - i think and NOT YARD SALES. TALK ABOUT THE SUBJECT before making assinine comments that are OFF TOPIC.

This board... @MyOpinion4U - Is full of uneducated people...must not have anything else to do but show it off. As a pawn shop we personnally give between 50-60% of market value. 10% I wish only in a fake reality. Think about it.

Yet again... @MyOpinion4U - Uneducation at its finest. In Our pawnshop we give between 50-60% of market value. 10%...not in this reality. You should learn more and type less.

Children should not be allowed to post on here. @Federal Reserve is PRIVATE - :)

From a Pawnshop This is a worker at DiscountFirearms&Pawn in American Fork. Some of the comments above are as Uneducated as the members of the city board who voted on this nonsense...If they and you would just do a little research you would see that under Utah State law Pawnbrokers are required to get identification which supplies: Name,Address,Phone#,DOB,Height,Weight,Race,Sex,and DL or ID expiration date. When anyone pawns or sells us an item, we then put this information into our database along with the item and description that is being sold/pawned as well as a serial number attached to that item. A ticket is then printed out with all this information on it. The customer signs AND FINGERPRINTS it. This is done for every item from one DVD to an expensive electronic. At the end of everyday we send a database report of every item we have taken in on pawn or loan to the police department. They then can look up any item and find in their system and track it to the pawnshop. This report contains everything taken at the time of pawn. If a pawn shop is not doing this then they are not doing what they are suppose to. If the police wont look up to see if your item is in a pawnshop at the time of police report, then they are not doing their job. We are happy to work with the local police departments to stop stolen items from comming in. We lose money when people pick their stolen item up. We DON'T want to deal with thieves and we have a NO PAWN list of names of those that we have found out are repeat offenders. Some of those names have come from the police themselves but most are what we have been proactive and compiled. If you have an item that is worth money...write down all your serial numbers and descriptions. If you are smart you probably have already done this. You might want to ask yourself how the people who steal stuff continue to be on the street stealing. Talk to your local authorities about a broken system. OUR SHOP IS HONEST...If you want to find out the true facts about something ask the people involved.. Dont just guess like the people who were too lazy to do anything but sit at a table and make a decision

I can appreciate your comment , howerver..... @DISCOUNTFIREARMS - While I can appreciate your comment and it is somewhat comforting to know that there is a system in place for catching these thieves. The system doesn’t help this man who has lost a precious family heirloom. Though the thief may get caught, this family will never see that ring again. Also this system only works if the shop owners themselves are honest and strait forward people. We’ve recently seen on this very same website that there are some shop owners who are not. Perhaps there needs to be a system in place for retrieving stolen goods or holding Pawn Shops accountable for lose of property.

What planet does your city operate from? Pawnshop laws are pretty consistent statewide.

SPECIFIC information that is UPLOADED EVERY SINGLE DAY to the State database is required by STATE law.

The 10-day law was JUST passed, LOWERING the limit from 30 days to 10 days. It WAS going to be ZERO days, but the 10-day law was enacted to allow pawn shops to be competitive with other secondhand dealers.

Better YET would be for you to argue for getting MORE businesses covered under the MANDATORY STATE REPORTING LAW, such as jewlers, tire shops, game shops, music stores, used car part dealers, car stereo dealers, etc.

OUR SHOP IS HONEST, TOO. OUR SHOP GIVES INFORMATION WIDELY AND HELPS YOU WITH THE FACTS ON HOW TO LOCATE YOUR STUFF.

GSI (in Tooele)

It's obvious that most people here don't have a clue about Pawn Shops.

First off, the National Average for stolen items pawned is lest than 1 item in 1000 pawned.

I ran a Pawn Shop for 25 years and I averaged a little less than one item a year that was stolen and most of those were a one family member stealing from another.

DI's would have about the same rate of stolen stuff going through their store, and they don't even keep records. Do you think they should have to hold stuff too?

It's real easy to condemn something you know nothing about. I think if you would check, Ebay has about a 100 times more stolen items going through it than Pawn shops do.

And I was NEVER able to buy for 10 cents on the dollar. I would pay 25 cents on the dollar from the new price for used items and then sell for 50 cents on the dollar.

I could go on and on. But Pawn Shops are legitimate businesses that serve the general community well.

Agreed @Megus - The VAST majority of items that are stolen and end up in a pawn shop are the result of family members or friends the person knows.

RARELY, it's a serial burglar.

LESS true are construction sites, which seem to get hit mercilessly.... but when you listen to their stories about how they left OUT all their tools, makes you wonder where the boss's brain was.

(One business put a GPS chip on ALL his expensive tools and used a beacon to locate them. IMHO, that is the most POSITIVE way to keep track of your stuff, try that!)

Hello! Pawn shops has done nothing wrong, the guy just pissed, I would be too. But the laws are just fine for pawn shops, they do a good job, my unlce owns one.

His son needs to find better friends to hang out with, not dirtbags like the this.

So.... If Pawnshops are so organized as you pawnshop owners state, why is it then that this guy has no way to track down the buyer? Where is all the info that the pawn broker supposedly has like the description and the fingerprint and all that?

If I took something stolen (some item)- even unknowingly - and then later admitted to a cop or the victim (rightful owner) that I had indeed had said item in my possession and then sold it - but I didn't know exactly to who, I'd no doubt be booked and charged for selling/receiving stolen property regardless.

To claim that you have too much oversight is ludicrous. One thing is constant among pawnbrokers everywhere, they all seem to know more about everything that anyone else and don't like being challenged.

Are you sure... @dtask - Sounds like a guess to me. Did you take it,"If I took something..." The laws are set in place so that if you buy something legitimately from a licensed seller...you are covered by your honesty. The law cannot prosecute you for unknowingly buying a stolen item from a licensed seller. No if you stole it...then thats your problem...think about it...a long while.

What!!!!!!! When would it be normal for a juvenile to actually own a $10,000.00 ring, let alone own it to pawn it? Just the fact that a juvenile took the ring to a pawn shop should be a huge red flag that it is stolen. The shop was negligent NOT to call the police just after they got the ring. The pawn shop had huge reasonable cause to be suspicious but looked the other way because they knew they were going to make a huge profit. Come on people where is common sense here.

The State LETS the pawn shops act as a fence for thiefs and the pawn shops are the ones making the big money off THEFT, more so than the people doing the stealing. IT IS TIME WE STOP CRIME and protect the PUBLIC FROM CROOKS and i dont care how much influence has with government officials, it is a dirty business the way they run it.

Exactly!!! @MyOpinion4U - You are right on the money.

How.... @MyOpinion4U - do they run it...tell us. Put down the T.V. remote and tell us how they run it since you know so much. Get off your couch and start stopping crime in your neighborhood...wont accomplish much with a mouse and an unededucated opinion.

why is a 10 grand wedding ring sitting at home in the first place, instead of on her finger where it belongs?

Why? @Dave S. - Last year when my wife and I went to Cancun neither one of us wore jewelery. And, I wore an old timex watch. Sometimes its best not to make yourself a target while on vacation.

That $10,000 ring @Dave S. - Do you have ANY idea what the markup is on NEW jewelry?

That $10,000 ring likely would bring about $300 in a pawn shop and would MAYBE sell for $1000.

That $10,000 ring MIGHT bring $1500 to get someone to BUY it used that is looking for EXACTLY an item like that.

Jewlery has a bigger "off the lot" drop in value than probably ANY OTHER item you could think of buying.

When someone tells me a ring cost them $10K, I would totally ignore that. I could care less. I want to know WHAT is it REALLY worth... on the street. THAT's what it's really worth.

QUIT buying BLOOD diamonds people!!! Buy recycled diamonds.... Visit a pawnshop.

@Roobah - The last sentence was funny Roobah...I commented on this very subject below.

That's fine and dandy But what about online sales, such as the free classified ads on ksl.com? Or what about imposing regulations on craigslist.com and ebay?

Seedy Shops for Shady people Personally I wouldn’t mind if they just did away with pawn shops altogether. It’s just a way for thieves to sell their stolen goods and not get caught. I don’t now much about the laws that govern these businesses, but it seems to me that the only people who benefit from these shops are thieves and the owners of these shops that continually look the other way while receiving stolen goods.

Yeah... @My Humble Opinion - Lets do away with Pawn shops...and ksl,want ads, craigslist, ebay, swap meets/flea markets, yard/garage sales, and all other avenues that you use to sell items to your neighbor... Is anybody thinking about what they post anymore?

If I were king, pawn shops would be banned The pawn shops are as crooked as the thieves that fence the stuff they bring in. 98% of the stuff going through those places is stolen and everybody knows it. That is one business I would never get into. There is good money to be made but you have to deal with junkies all day every day.

@Pirate - Another comment from someone who has no clue...maybe never even set foot in a pawn shop. Your ignorance shines through your words...congratulation on that.

I've been in pawnshops @DISCOUNTFIREARMS - Seedy places run by seedy people who KNOW the stuff is stolen.

Hey Pirate.... @Pirate - Keep continuing to let you Ignorance shine by your posts.. it astounds and amazes how much YOU DONT KNOW but are willing to have a comment about. TOO FUNNY!

Pawn shop owners know their customers Alot of people own 40 or 50 car stereos, 50 DVD players, 50 sets of golf clubs, 50 ipods, and thousands of pieces of jewelry. They buy stuff from the same "TWEEKERS" all the time. After about pawning the third or fourth ring in a week,some suspicion should arise. DUMB LIKE A FOX.

I've heard these owners on TV before, "We can't cast judgment on any of our customers, they are loyal to our store" "They are vital to our business.

"DUMB LIKE A FOX" @carnivorous - ...Self judgement is uncalled for...but if you really would like to know...if you believe your own words, it would be best for you to hit the power button, and just go back to sleep. Rediculous and 100% FALSE

i was a victim too my home was broke into..i found stuff at the pawn shop that was mine..in ogden and the ogden police wouldnt do anything about it.....thats the law for you...it was a terrible thing for my family

Thank you... @hilldavethebest - Victim too....for pointing out where the real problem is.

I don't know The man in this story looks like he's in his mid 40's that would make his son's aquaintance in his mid to late 20's at the most.

I think I would be a little suspicious of a man in his 20's pawning a $10,000 diamond ring. Add to that he was a druggie and I'm sure he looked like he could afford a $10,000 ring.

I suspect the Pawn shop owner didn't give much for the ring then turned around and sold it for top dollar.

That is @Utah fan - how pawn shops work. rip you off then sell it for a decent price.

I'm glad you "SUSPECT" @The Other Side - ...shows you really dont kmow much about the subject. It is not poor judgement to think a 20 yr old could have a 10k ring...what age does he have to be to afford it...30, 40, 50...give me a break. There ARE ambitious young people out there but probably none belong to those whos comments are rediculous on this subject. Poor judgement is thinking that you are not getting ripped off by your jeweler. The price of these materials aren't as expensive as you think they are. The majority of the jewelry we get is sent to a refinery and given below mareket prices for the materials...Think Im kidding try to sell your 10k ring to a jeweler...tell me you dont laugh at the value he gives you...MAJOR MARK UP ON JEWELRY...Now.. where would a pawn shop owner get TOP DOLLAR for a 10k ring...certainly not in his shop. Ask someone who goes to a pawn shop if they are looking for a 10k ring. So who is he going to sell it to...another Pawn shop??? Come on people...lets start using common sense...unless you checked yours at the door of your earthly existance.

Several years ago a friend of mine had some financial problems. The only thing she could do was pawn her deceased mother's engagement ring. At the time she was told that she had 30 days to get the ring back. She went back 3 weeks later and the ring had already been sold. She was told that one of the employees made a mistake in selling it...but was offered no help in getting it back for her. So much for keeping records. My friend was devastated over the loss of her mother's ring. Laws aren't any good unless the pawn shop owners abide by them. I would never take a chance on pawning anything that I wanted back. I'm sure there are many pawn dealers that are honest...but there are also those that aren't.

More government insanity What does the government have to do with how many of a certain type of business exist in their city? What about laws of supply and demand?
First they fight against check cashing businesses, and others now pawn shops. Even though a good friend of mine owns a pawn shop I think that healthy competition breeds better businesses. If there are a limit on competition and one sucks how can someone who believes they can do a better job come in and compete?
Government needs to take a less active role in our lives!

Bottom Line is..... Any legt pawnshop operator should have been very leary about buying a ring of that vaule from a teenage boy, or any other person fot that matter. People with that type of expensive jewelry are not the type you would think you would find selling it to a pawn shop.

I think the pawn shop operator that bought the ring should help replace it, due to his stupidity. Maybe he would think twice the next time a teenager comes in with a very expensive item!

nuff said

Do some research @Stantheman - On where will get the best price for Overpriced "USED" retail jewelry. If you cant convince a friend to buy your 10k ring...whats your next step...where to you go. What will a jeweler give you. By the way...what does the boy look like you said he is a teenager but yet we have yet to see an age or a picture. ALL ASSUMPTIONS...DO SOME RESEARCH!!!!!

Who's fault is it? My two cents on this matter is that this home owner is careless. If you are going to be out of town why wouldn't you put something of that value in a safe (if you can spend $10,000 on a ring then you can afford a safe) or in a hidden place that only you would know about. I don't think it's the pawn shop's fault that your son runs around with the wrong crowd either.

Pawn Shops already have strict regulations. I don't think they should have to hang on to things for 30 days. As far as the comments on doing business with crooked people and pawn shops should be shut down are ridiculous. ALMOST every business and store has crooked people that give them business.

Let me guess.... @Corsutja24 - You run a pawn shop....right?

?????? @Stantheman - No I don't run a Pawn Shop but if I did I would put "Stantheman" on my name tag!!!

Your 2 cents @Corsutja24 - That's about all I would pay for your comment. Try to sell it to a pawnshop.

Pawn The pawn shop is a last resort. I have had to take loans on items before, the way I see it, they give you less on a loan so you have the ability to purchase back your item.

The family who lost their ring isnt at fault here. Maybe they need to look at their sons friends, or maybe the actions of their children. Good kids don't hang out with Druggies.

If pawn shops were so bad they would go out of business. Plain and simple, bad business doesn't last, just look at "Clean Flix"

Don't kid yourself Joe @Joe J. - The reason pawn shops give you so little for your stuf is so that they can make a large profit when they sell it. They are hoping you don't come back for it!

Thanks for the comment! @Stantheman - Isn't that the idea of business? Buy for as little as you can and sale for more? Seems to have worked out well for all the successful large companies but I guess you should let them know that they need to overpay for items so they lose money on the sale! Great Logic Stan!

REALLY PEOPLE???!!! REALLY??!! These stolen goods stores don't have to record the buyer? REALLY? Pawn shops are nothing but stolen goods stores and we all know it. When they're not selling stolen goods, they're selling junky VCRs for more than a brand new one costs at Wal Mart. And when pawn shops aren't doing all of THIS, they're taking advantage of desperate people and giving them next to nothing for an item of considerable value.

How to turn these pawn shops into semi honest businesspeople:

1. make them record the sellers AND buyers of items (duh)

2. make them disclose to customers how much they paid for an item. We should force car dealers to do this too. Some of you may gasp at this, but there's no reason we should be afraid of HONESTY. Laws that keep people honest are the bedrock of a good society. Truthfully, what OTHER purpose is there for law if it isn't to provide a mechanism for keeping people honest?

Ya @eyewubyou - and we should force all business to show us what they pay at the suppliers and their employees. Then we would know what every hamburger, cell phone, construction job, candybar costs them. Then we could lowball everything and decide what we think the business deserves to make in profit. They should be happy that I would be generous enough to pay an extra 50cents for a happy meal. You know business just wants to screw poor people over.
Lets go after their profits and pensions!

Get a life.
Things are only worth what you are willing to pay or take.

Uneducation...at its finest. @eyewubyou - We wont take in VCRs by them self(not a DVD/VCR combo), We turn them away as well as DVD players...DO SOME RESEARCH PEOPLE BEFORE YOU SPOUT IGNORANCE. Ask anyone that has come into our shop trying to offload a DVD or VCR player. THEY ARE TOO CHEAP NEW AND NOT WORTH OUR TIME...so we turn them away. PLEASE...dont comment on stuff you dont know! Have you ever asked for a better deal on our list price... Almost everytime we will give you a better price unless we just put it on our shelves. Your Crazy about disclosing what we pay for it... lets see you try that one at WalMart or Target. COME ON...ARE YOU FOR REAL. Another OPRAH's "BIG GIVEAWAY" aspiring attendee. Geesh

VCR players... @DISCOUNTFIREARMS - HEY! THEY ARE worth the time, we give $3-$5 for a VCR player WITH A REMOTE and it will be tested.

Do you have ANY idea how HARD it is to come by a cheap working VCR player these days? They are worth their weight in gold.

We DO take them, but people don't bring them in any more!!!

(They still make GREAT security camera recording devices. We don't sell them, we use them until the die as security recording devices. HIGH quality 8mm cameras and 8-hour VHS tapes work wonders.... better than BANK video, FULL color, and directional AUDIO is wonderful, too)

:)

MTW, MY competition is Walmart and the Deseret Industries.... really. When we are selling items cheaper than the D.I. we know we are on to something for having GREAT prices. (WE DO sell VHS and Disney movies and Playstation One games cheaper than the D.I.)

I hear you roobah... @Roobah - We personally have found that the market for these items in our area versus time is worth it to us. We'll send them your way. :)

Maybe his son should hang out with a better crowd and none of this would have ever happened.

Wake Up @Frog Goggles - I know the family that was victimized and can assure you that the son (and most everyone else in their circle) knew nothing of the friend's drug problem. You are very naive and self-righteous if you think that drug users have a certain look about them or that no one in your circle has a hidden addition. Many drug users are very good at covering their addiction and are great at deceiving those around them. If you take the time to respond to this issue, please take the time to say something meaningful.

Just woke up! @255 - Yeah kids are good at hiding drug problems, that is if you listen to your bishop about what a drug user looks like. I grew up in that crowd. Maybe thats why I can pick out the bad apples at ten paces. The son knew, the friends knew. They are just being "Good Kids" They claim they didn't know to save their own butts.

Again, wake up Wouldn't it be nice if everyone was a smart as you think you are? Must be nice in your world.

Lets get back to the issue, The original story was about the 10 day hold and if it should be changed. The law was only changed in the last couple of years, allowing 10 day holds instead of the normal 30 days. This was something the state imposed, not the pawnshops. I agree with a longer hold time, but if a store owner has the chance to turn his investment around sooner, than of coarse it will be sold at the 10 days. This is a policy that the state changed and should be looked at again, to help the detectives resolve more cases. In this case the victim would have gotten his item back, if the 30 days hold was still in force. If KSL had run any part of the owners interview, some of these points would have been covered for better public understanding. (It was a very one sided report)