Don’t come knocking!

Residents would opt on to ‘do not knock’ list for solicitors

BY KIMBERLY STEINBERG Staff Writer

RED BANK — The Borough Council is working on the details of creating a “do not knock” list that would allow residents to register with the borough to bar solicitors from coming to their doors.

Mayor Pasquale Menna explained during the May 10 Borough Council meeting that solicitors would be given the list of homes they must avoid when obtaining a permit with the borough and would face a penalty for violations.

Menna described the list as similar to the federal Do Not Call Registry, except instead of preventing telemarketers from calling residents’homes, it would prevent commercial solicitors from appearing at residents’ doorways.

Menna first broached the topic during the April 26 council meeting, after he said he’d received several complaints and concerns from borough residents.

“We owe it to our residents to give them the same amount of privacy, protection and safety as we constitutionally can,” Menna said, adding that he is particularly concerned about residents who live alone and the elderly.

“They would like the peace, quiet and safety enjoyed elsewhere and in gated communities,” Menna said on May 10.

According to Borough Attorney Thomas J. Hall, the borough currently has an ordinance that requires organizations to register with the police before going door to door.

“Permits are routinely granted,” said Hall.

The new ordinance would prohibit solicitors from knocking on doors that are on the list.

“All it takes is for someone to take the impetus to say, ‘I want my peace and quiet’ and put themselves on the list,” said Menna. “If residents don’t take the initiative, no one will do it for them.”

According to Menna, other New Jersey towns have passed similar ordinances. He said the borough would examine them in order to best craft its own.

“It’s going to be a little bit from everybody,” Menna said. “You take the best of a number of them.”

Hall explained that the law explicitly targets businesses and not religious and charity groups, especially since a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court decision struck down laws that barred religious groups, charities and politicians from door-todoor solicitation because the ban violated the FirstAmendment.

Menna said it has yet to be determined exactly which organizations would be exempt from the ordinance.

If passed, Menna believes the law would provide more privacy to borough residents and will ensure them a certain level of safety.

Menna believes the borough would be the first in Monmouth County to pass such an ordinance.

“Our residents deserve a certain sense of privacy. If we can provide it to them, I think we’ve done something,” he said.

Violators would face “a rather stiff” fine, Menna said. Also, no solicitation can take place before 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m.

“If you don’t want to be bothered, put your name on the list,” Menna said. “If you want people knocking on your door, well, God bless you.”