Business owners who didn’t believe Springfield’s tough new pawnbroker ordinance would be enforced were undoubtedly shocked by a simple, fast and effective sting by Springfield police that resulted in the fining of five stores and closing of three businesses.
The new regulations lengthen the holding period of valuables from 10 to 30 days. They also require shops to photograph both the items and the customers who present them, maintain electronic records of all transactions and upload transactional information to the New England State Police Information Network. All of this was done in an effort to stop the sale of stolen goods on the secondhand market.