Crime & Safety

Authorities Warn Residents To Watch Out For Door-To-Door Scams

Solicitors and peddlers are required to carry a license in University Place.

(Editor's note: This is from the City of University Place)

Spring and summer are upon us and with the increase in warm weather; we often see an increase in door to door sales in our City. There is a lot of confusion out there about the rules and regulations that solicitors must follow to be allowed to sale door to door. It is important for residents to understand these regulations so that they can be better informed, increase awareness and report suspicious activity as it is occurring.

Do Solicitors/Peddlers in University Place need to be licensed? Yes. Solicitation businesses must complete a solicitor license application and submit to the City. The permit is reviewed by various City Department heads, including the Chief of Police. Additionally, an individual solicitor must receive a background check and approval of the Police Chief.

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Are ALL representatives of a soliciting entity required to carry a license? Yes. All solicitors are required to carry the license on their person while soliciting. It is good practice to ask to see this license and if there is no proof of a license neighbors can report activity to police by calling non-emergency at 798.4722 (24 hours). Your police team has an interest in people disguising themselves as door to door salespeople. There are many legitimate vendors that use this method to sell things and there are many who simply use it as a cover and mean to do you harm. Plain and simple, if they don’t have a license we want to know about it.

Are there lawful times for a person to peddle and solicit? Yes.October 1 through April 30 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. of any dayMay 1 through September 30 between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. of any day If you are getting people at your door outside of these time frames please report it to non-emergency (24 hours) at 798.4722.Residents who are concerned about door to door sales or get that “uneasy feeling” should report it to police by calling non-emergency at 798.4722. Nobody knows your neighborhood better than you do. Don’t assume that police know about the issue. It is your neighborhood; you have an obligation to your neighbors to keep it safe. Don’t talk yourself out of an “uneasy feeling.” Your police team relies on those reports to partner with you to solve crime.If you have questions about door to door sales or would like to set up a neighborhood Block Watch please call Jennifer Hales at 798.3141.

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