Bill would crack down on sales to secondhand shops

Indiana lawmakers are considering a bill that would crack down on sales of stolen goods to the state's secondhand stores.

The Senate bill would require people who purchase secondhand goods for resale to maintain a log of those purchases, photograph the seller and the item and keep the purchased item off the shelves for five days.

Indiana already has similar requirements on the books for pawn shops.

Republican state Sen. Jim Banks of Columbia City tells the Journal & Courier while pawn shops and secondhand stores "are two different kinds of places, they create the same market for stolen property."

The bill Banks is sponsoring would carry fines of up to $1,000 to shop owners who failed to follow the proposed rules.