Committee advances ordinance requiring electronic records for secondhand goods dealers, adds three‑strike enforcement

A Detroit Public Health & Safety standing committee on Tuesday moved forward an ordinance that would require secondhand-goods dealers to keep electronic transaction records to help police track stolen property, and it added a three‑strike enforcement standard before license nonrenewal or other penalties apply.

Justin Onwenu, the city presenter on the measure, told the committee the change would convert paper records to an online system (Leads Online) that DPD already subscribes to and that the city would provide to businesses at no cost. "These records are already mandated, but they're written records," Onwenu said, adding the electronic system will make it easier for DPD to identify noncompliant businesses and patterns of theft.

DPD, speaking through Lieutenant Miller, described the change as an operational step to improve accountability and offered an education-first approach: the ordinance includes a 60‑day window after the system is designated for businesses to register and transition.

Council member Mary Waters pressed for clearer enforcement language and asked how many businesses would be covered and what equipment might cost owners. Onwenu and DPD said many entries will require only a basic description or photo and that a webcam or low‑cost fingerprint scanner ("a webcam for less than $30," Onwenu said) would be sufficient in most cases. Waters also urged the city to send notice by registered mail so owners must sign and cannot claim they did not receive outreach.

Members debated penalties and how to define repeated willful failure. The law department (Graham Anderson) and administration supported adding a finite threshold. The committee agreed to language clarifying section 4193 to read approximately as "failing to report 3 or more transactions" where the ordinance now references repeated or willful failures. "Three or more does seem like a good balance," a DPD representative said during discussion.

The committee moved the ordinance to new business for introduction and set a public hearing after the law department reviews the draft for cross‑references. The law department will work with administration to finalize any consequential edits and notify committee members if additional changes are required before the formal session.

Next steps: the ordinance will appear for introduction at the formal session and, if the public hearing is set, return for final consideration following that hearing.