Lawmaker Dropping Cellphone Vending Bill May Undermine City Proposal

By Bryan P. Sears


A Baltimore County Councilman's decision not to sponsor a bill that would ban so-called cellphone "reverse vending machines" may undermine efforts to do the same in Baltimore City. 

Councilman David Marks, a Perry Hall Republican, said he will not sponsor a bill to ban the machines after a meeting with law enforcement officials including Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson.

"I'm not in a rush to do anything with this bill," Marks said. "The county police aren't sure how big a problem this is in the county. They're doing a report to see if it's a problem."

Earlier this year, a Patch reporter sent several emails to Baltimore County police seeking information about problems with the reverse cellphone vending machines, but received no response. 

Marks said he began to consider sponsoring a bill at the request of Baltimore City Councilman Bill Henry, who introduced a similar bill that would ban the kiosks in Baltimore City.

"[Henry] was concerned that a ban in the city wouldn't work if there wasn't one in the county," Marks said.

Earlier this year Henry, who represents the York Road corridor, said he was hearing concerns from city police during community meetings that the kiosks drive theft of cellphones and other portable electronic devices and make it easy to exchange the stolen goods for cash.

He said he was given anecdotal evidence that one machine at Mondawmin Mall was so popular there were lines out the door at times waiting to use the machine. 

Henry was asking lawmakers in Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties to submit bills banning the machines because thieves from the city could easily get to the suburbs to exchange the phones, defeating the purpose of banning them in Baltimore. 

"Given the fact that we haven't had the hearing on our [bill], and the expectation was [the county] would move forward based on what we did, any comment would be premature before we figure out what we're doing in Baltimore," Henry said. 

With the demand for used electronic devices increasing, a number of the kiosks have appeared in the Baltimore metro area. The machines provide a way to exchange the devices on the spot for cash.

North Baltimore Patch Local Editor Adam Bednar contributed to this story.