After beginning to enforce a new door-to-door solicitation law last week, West University Place police have already arrested one man for violating the rules, while two legitimate solicitors have submitted permit applications.
The department began enforcing the new commercial solicitation ordinance on Feb. 22 after a required waiting period, said West U. Lt. Charlie Deily. The city council on Feb. 8 granted final approval for the new, strict regulations that require solicitors to complete a rigorous application to earn a permit to work in West U.
On Feb. 23, a resident’s complaint lead police to the first charge under the new law. A resident in the 6700 block of Vanderbilt Street called police because a solicitor had knocked on the door, although the address was on the city’s no-knock list.
An officer observed a man exiting a vehicle and knocking on doors. When the officer pulled the car over, he found that the solicitor had not visited the police station to apply for a permit to solicit in West U. The man was arrested and charged for soliciting without a permit. Another man and a woman in the same car were also arrested and charged with possession of marijuana after the officer found pot during a search.
Under the new law, commercial solicitors must provide police with a laundry list of information to gain a permit. People who go door to door for religious or political reasons are exempt from the regulations.
An applicant would have to show identification, provide contact information, and give police his vehicle information. The applicant would also have to provide his addresses for the past five years and community references there. Much more is required to earn a permit: Read more here.
Deily said that a handful of people have visited the station to get information about the new procedure, but only two people have filled out and returned applications. Some people have asked questions about the form of identification they must show — Deily said the city will require a company-issued ID as well as a state ID like a driver’s license.
Those two solicitors who did complete the process are still waiting for police to review their applications.
“There’s a series of checklists the dispatcher needs to go through before it goes to the next step, of the supervisor giving approval,” Deily said. “Then it’s approved and they have to pay $50 for the permit.”
