The Wichita city council wants more information before voting on changes in city ordinances affecting pawnbrokers and secondhand dealer transactions.

The Wichita Police Department is proposing a contract with LeadsOnline, which provides information on items that have been sold or pawned.  The online system would have pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers entering information online about items they have received, and the system will allow officers to check for any items that may have been reported stolen.  Police captain Clay Germany said the system will also allow officers to see items in other cities and states, and they could track items that were reported stolen in Wichita and sold in other communities.

Pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers would have to enter the information on their transactions within one business day.  Currently, only pawnbrokers are required to report transactions electronically and only if their business averages more than 100 transactions a month.    Secondhand dealers have been reporting transactions only on a weekly basis.

Local pawnbroker Bruce Harris raised concerns about fees that could be charged to pawn shops and to customers, and he said personal information that is provided by customers could be subject to profiling or hacking once it’s on the system.    Deputy police chief Jose Salcido said the police department is paying for the service through a contract and there would not be a charge affecting pawn shops or their customers.

Wichita city manager Robert Layton said staff can work to get more information and meet with pawnbrokers to address their concerns about the system.   The city council voted to delay action until next month on changes in city ordinances to provide for the new online system.