[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the Village of Ridgefield Park 9-8-1981 by Ord. No. 11-81 (Ch. 167 of the 1985 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Auctioneers — See Ch. 129.
Peddling and soliciting — See Ch. 281.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ARTICLE —
Any secondhand item of gold, silver or other metal or gem in any form purchased or sold by a dealer in the course of business.
DEALER
Any person, partnership, corporation or other entity, whether permanent or itinerant, who buys and sells secondhand gold, silver or other precious metals or gems in any form in the Village of Ridgefield Park.
A. 
Each dealer conducting business in the Village of Ridgefield Park shall first obtain a license therefor, which license shall bear a number issued by the Village Clerk and shall be prominently displayed within the licensed premises.
B. 
Application for such license shall be obtained from the Chief of Police and shall be accompanied by a license fee of $25 for each premises at which business is to be conducted.
C. 
All licenses shall expire on December 31 in each year, and such licenses shall not be transferable.
D. 
The license application shall contain the following information: name of applicant; permanent home address of applicant; name and address of firm represented (if applicable) and a letter of authorization from the firm represented; fingerprints of applicant.
E. 
The Chief of Police shall have a reasonable period of time in which to verify the information in the application and to investigate the applicant and shall signify his approval or rejection on the reverse side of the form and transmit same to the Village Board of Commissioners.
F. 
If the Police Chief recommends denial of the license, the ground for such recommendation shall be stated. Upon receipt of the recommendation of the Chief of Police, the Board of Commissioners shall issue or deny the license accordingly.
A. 
Each dealer shall maintain a complete record of each article received by him, together with the amount paid and the name, residence address and age of the person from whom the item was purchased or received, and shall furnish to the seller a receipt therefor.
B. 
Each dealer shall also maintain a record of the name and address of each person to whom the dealer sells an article and the condition of the article when sold.
C. 
These records shall be maintained for a period of one year from the date of the transaction and shall at all times be available for inspection by any police officer of the Village of Ridgefield Park.
D. 
The records required by this section shall be maintained by each dealer in a separate bound volume maintained specifically for this purpose. Each transaction shall be assigned a number in sequence in which it occurred and shall promptly be listed in the book according to its number with the required information.
E. 
Each dealer shall record and maintain a photo image of each person transacting with the dealer for the purchase or sale of articles as defined in this chapter.
F. 
Each dealer shall complete a card provided by the Police Department on each item obtained during the course of business. Such cards will require the following information where applicable:
(1) 
Dealer identification.
(2) 
Transaction number.
(3) 
Date and time.
(4) 
Detailed description.
(a) 
Base metal.
(b) 
Gems.
(c) 
Nomenclature.
(d) 
Gender.
(e) 
Inscriptions.
(f) 
Size.
(g) 
Serial number.
(5) 
Amount paid.
(6) 
Purchased from:
(a) 
Name.
(b) 
Address.
(c) 
Age.
(d) 
Form of identification.
G. 
Item cards shall be picked up from the licensed dealer by a member of the Police Department on a daily basis, whenever possible.
A. 
Each dealer shall require identification of the person buying or selling each article, and no transaction may be made with any person under the age of 18 years without the written authorization of said minor's parent or legal guardian.
B. 
No dealer may sell, melt, change the form so as to render the article unidentifiable or dispose of any article of gold, silver or secondhand jewelry bought or received by him within 10 days after said article is received.
C. 
All articles obtained must be available for inspection by a member of the Police Department upon request.
D. 
Police personnel may, in the performance of their duties, place a "temporary stop" on any particular item or items if such items are the basis of an investigation or if the Police Department has reasonable cause to believe that such items are stolen property. A temporary stop shall have a duration of 15 days and not be renewable. The Chief of Police or his designee shall have the power to release items placed on temporary stop. During a temporary stop, the item or items will be maintained in their original state and not otherwise altered or changed.
A. 
Licenses issued under this chapter may be revoked by the Village Board of Commissioners, after hearing on notice, for fraud, misrepresentation or false statements either in the license application or in the course of business or for the violation of any provision of this chapter, or upon conviction of the dealer for any crime or disorderly person offense involving moral turpitude, or if the dealer's business is conducted in a manner which constitutes a breach of the peace or a menace to the health, safety or general public welfare.
B. 
Notice of hearing for revocation of a license shall be given in writing to the dealer by the Village Clerk, setting forth specifically the grounds upon which the complaint is made and setting forth the time and place of hearing, and shall be mailed to the licensee at his last known address at least five days prior to the date set for hearing.
[Amended 3-26-1985 by Ord. No. 6-85[1]]
The violation of any section of this chapter shall be punishable by revocation of license and/or as provided in Chapter 1, General Provisions, Article II, General Penalty.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).