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Selling books back may require ID
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by Nick Penzenstadler
Friday, January 19, 2007
After a reported rise in textbook thefts on the University of Wisconsin campus, city officials have proposed an ordinance that would require used bookstores to participate in a crime prevention effort.
If passed, the ordinance would require stores to obtain photo identification of anyone wishing to sell back a textbook for more than $50.
City Council President Austin King, who is also a member of Madison’s safety review board, proposed the ordinance in early January. The board tabled discussion on the proposed ordinance for two months to investigate the matter further.
King said bookstores need to be more vigilant in the prevention of stolen book circulation. He pointed to other items, like firearms, that already require presentation of identification for purchase.
“Stolen textbooks are an epidemic on campus,” King said. “Some of that is due to mistakes by students, but a lot of it is due to straight burglary.”
The two-month investigation period will allow King and others to look at the language of the proposal and make sure it targets the problem at hand.
Underground Textbook Exchange co-owner Troy Gerkey said he disagrees with the proposal, and added he feels betrayed after assisting with police investigations.
“We have been working with [UWPD] officer [Erik] Pearce with some problems they’d been having at Grainger Hall, and they had made four or five arrests, and every single one was from the information they gathered from us,” he said. “I feel like he kind of went behind our back.”
According to Pearce, the proposal is not aimed to harm businesses.
“I certainly don’t want to work against small businesses in Madison. I want to work with them to find a reasonable compromise,” Pearce said. “If they consistently check IDs, that’s a huge deterrent for the thieves because they can’t do it anonymously.”
Pearce said he investigated 31 textbook thefts between October and November last semester. He recommended students tug on their lockers before leaving them and said students should never leave any item unattended for any amount of time.
Gerkey said there is already a city ordinance in place that requires stores pay a licensing fee to allow the resale of textbooks. He also said bookstores could lose money under the proposed ordinance from not receiving restitution for stolen books seized by police.
But if implemented, King said the process would not present much of a hassle for storeowners.
“I don’t think it’s a particular hardship to check an ID — it’s pretty simple,” King said. “You’re dealing with hundreds and hundreds of dollars of merchandise.”
However, Gerkey said with long lines and thousands of students who sell books back, the extra step would only make the process more grueling.
The University Bookstore Textbook Departments Manager Steve Scheibel said they already require a photo ID for students wishing to sell back books. He also said staff are alerted when books are reported stolen, and they are asked to watch for suspicious behavior in certain situations.
According to Gerkey, the issue with stolen textbooks is nothing new and has not changed in intensity over the years.
“Typically, every few months we see guys coming in trying to sell used stolen books,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for 12 years and it’s an ongoing problem, but it’s not like it’s getting worse now.”
Safety Review Board member Tyrone Bell said both parties presented excellent cases at the meeting where the ordinance was proposed and added opponents pointed out that a majority of the stolen goods are sold to people over the Internet.
Textbooks already present a burden on students, King said, so theft just makes the situation worse.
“They’re a total scam; students are already paying up the wazoo and then to have to do it again,” King said. “It is just totally financially infeasible. They can cost a full month’s rent, so it’s really difficult.”
Anonymous (January 22, 2007 @ 10:43am):
The whole textbook publishing system is out of control. The real theft occurs when you fork over $120 for the new, required textbook edition that hasn't been revised except for some new 'enhanced' color figures and a renumbering of the homework problems.
We don't need a police state to keep our books safe. What does showing your ID have to do with anything? Are they actually going to record your identification? Thieves won't bother with this hassle, nor will legitimate sellers.
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