Police find themselves having to educate door-to-door sales people
Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Door to door salespeople can be a nuisance to some residents. And the police are hearing more about them.
In the city, it is unlawful to sell or solicit between 7 p. m. and 9 a. m., and residents can post a “ No Solicitation ” sign on their property, which must be honored.
It also is unlawful to attempt to sell door-to-door without a city permit.
Only one permit for door to door solicitation has been issued since an ordinance on the issue passed in July.
The fees for purchasing a permit are $ 10 per day, $ 30 per week, or $ 75 per month.
Individuals in a religious, nonprofit or newspaper business are exempt from the fees, but still must register with the city.
Mayor Frank Anderson determines if the business should pay a fee or not, with guidance from City Attorney Jason Kelley if necessary. The information is provided to the police department.
Police Chief Jim Wozniak has suggested a change in the procedures. “ I would like the city to delay (issuing ) the permit for several days so we can do a brief background check, ” said Wozniak. “ If they’re OK, they’ll be back, if not, they won’t. ”
In a recent incident, when officers stopped a man going door-to-door, they found he was wanted on a warrant from Rogers for failure to appear in court.
The chief said a two-day waiting period shouldn’t be a problem for a legitimate business.
“ We’re not just gonna give anybody a permit to sell just anything in my city, ” said Anderson.
The penalties for selling without a license are $ 50 per offense.
Anderson and Wozniak agree that that having the ordinances is often a deterrent to those who might have ulterior motives. Predators do not like the scrutiny of a permitting process.
Copies of the door-to-door selling ordinance are available at city hall, or the Bella Vista city Web site at bellavistacityar. com.
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