Following the approval of an ordinance amending Chapter 115 of the township code, dealers in secondhand goods, precious metals and gemstones will now have to report their merchandise purchases through a website which will be monitored by the Voorhees Township Police Department.
At the Oct. 14 the township committee meeting, members of the committee approved the second reading of the ordinance unanimously, after already approving the first reading on Sept. 23.
“It’s state recommended,” township administrator Larry Spellman said.
Spellman explained that the ordinance was initially brought before the township by Police Chief Louis Bordi.
Bordi said the ordinance is something that is currently being passed all over the state.
“There’s been a shortfall in the documentation,” Bordi said. “This closes the gap and outlines procedure.”
To aid in the recovery of stolen property, Spellman said after the meeting that secondhand dealers would now have to file an online report within 48 hours of conducting a transaction wherein goods were purchased from a member of the public.
When filing a report, a dealer must include essential information such as a physical description of the seller, a description of the items purchased and color photographs of the items sold.
Following the initial reporting of the information online, a dealer is also required to make the merchandise available for inspection by the chief of police for three days after the transaction and must remain in the same form as it was when purchased.
Spellman said, in addition to help recover stolen merchandise, the hope is to deter thefts with a viable system to track potentially stolen goods.
“It’s a great thing,” Spellman said.
Bordi said the Voorhees Police Department will employ a private website, called Rapid, to track secondhand dealers’ transactions with the public in not only their municipality, but other municipalities as well.
Bordi also added that the website is only for police use and that the public will be unable to view the transactions on the site.
“I think it’s going to give us leads,” Bordi said.
Since the Voorhees Police Department will be able to view transactions in not only Voorhees but also in other municipalities and even other states, officers will have a better chance of finding suspects and recovering stolen merchandise.
Bordi also added that this amendment to Chapter 115 will save time, since officers will no longer have to drive from business to business to view transaction records.
“It’s a step toward becoming more effective and efficient,” Bordi said.
According to Chapter 115.09, a violation to any provision within the chapter, including those newly instated, will result in a minimum fine of $100 to a maximum fine of $2,000 or by imprisonment for less than 90 days or by a period of community service not exceeding 90 days.
In other news:
• The township committee also passed an ordinance authorizing the issuance and sale of $222,000 in special emergency notes. Spellman said after the meeting that the sale of the notes is an effort to appropriate funds for revaluation of homes within the township and redoing the township’s master plan.
• The township also voted to release a performance bond and accept a maintenance bond for Burris Construction in regard to PowerBack Rehabilitation located on Route 73, adjacent to Virtua Voorhees. The maintenance bond will last for two years.
• After receiving a $20,000 grant from the county, the township announced plans to install swings and a playground, surrounded by a three-foot fence within the Rabinowitz Sports Complex. With several baseball fields located within the complex, Spellman said the playground would help to occupy younger children during their sibling’s baseball game. He said the township plans to have the new playground installed before the end of the year, pending cooperation from the weather.
