Gary Domalewicz, an Albany County legislator and author of proposed Law G, stated in his letter ("Pawnshop law a good idea," Oct. 31), "I have worked with the dealers to address their needs; now, the citizens of Albany County require their needs to be addressed."
No significant changes have been incorporated in the law to address concerns of secondhand dealers or the proposed profiling of citizens' transactions at those dealers.
Law G is not an effective solution to protecting citizens and it has raised more concerns about possible constitutional violations that have not been addressed. The New York Civil Liberties Union has made its opposition clear on the grounds that it violates the Fourth Amendment. That, alone, is a legitimate cause for concern for citizens and consideration by legislators.
Mr. Domalewicz, in his letter, also states, "I suspect some will speculate burglars will only travel outside the county to sell stolen goods. Speculation like that would be without merit and would certainly give the burglars way too much credit." Most of us would agree burglars deserve more credit than that. They don't want to get caught; they'll figure out where to go even if it's across state lines.
In the meantime, how does Law G treat customers in Albany County who come from outside the county? It polices them even though they're not protected by the law. That's not very inviting for Albany County businesses.
In the past few weeks, we've collected more than 400 names on a petition opposing Law G. We collected these signatures at stores and online; many of those collected at local stores belong to people from other counties. People move across local borders regularly to do business.
No one argues it would be good to have a system for better solving burglaries and returning stolen property to its owners, but Law G just isn't that system. This proposal has been pushed through the legislative process without real consideration of its effectiveness, its violation of the Bill of Rights or its effect on Albany County businesses and our economy. The Legislature should not pass this law.
Ben Chadabe
Albany
Citizens Against Law G