4530208 Resolution 20-247, “Personal Property Robbery Prevention Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2013”

a resolution

20-247 

In the Council of the District of Columbia

July 10, 2013

To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend Chapter 28 of Title 47 of the District of Columbia Official Code to enable the Mayor to suspend or revoke the business licenses of any business engaged in the buying or selling of stolen items; and to amend section 16-1001.04 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations to include, in the account of each transaction by a junk dealer or secondhand dealer, information regarding the title of the good transacted.

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Personal Property Robbery Prevention Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2013”.

 

Sec. 2. (a) There exists an immediate crisis regarding robbery of personal property in the District of Columbia.

(b) In the first 5 months of the current calendar year, 1,482 robberies were reported in the District of Columbia; 743 of these robberies were robberies of mobile telephones.

(c) Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) investigations have revealed that most stolen personal electronics are not bought and sold by licensed secondhand dealers, but rather by stores illegally purchasing and reselling used goods, which may or may not be stolen.

(d) This legislation would provide MPD with the tools necessary to combat robberies, by providing strict penalties to businesses that engage in the buying and selling of stolen items.

 

Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances

enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Personal Property Robbery Prevention Emergency Amendment Act of 2013 be adopted after a single reading.

 

Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.