KENILWORTH, NJ — Local governing officials are to implement a “no-knock” registry to stop unwanted door-to-door solicitation after hearing complaints from residents in April.
The amended ordinance introduced at the April 25 meeting would have residents register their addresses with the borough clerk to stop salesmen, or anyone canvassing, from knocking on their doors.
“This ordinance establishes a registry, which contains a list of addresses of those premises where the owner or occupant has notified the borough clerk that the resident wishes to prohibit persons and entities from canvassing, soliciting, peddling,” Councilman Lawrence Clementi read at council meeting.
A public hearing of this ordinance will be held May 23.
“The ‘no-knock’ registry will be given to solicitors, and will advise them that the addresses on the list do not wish to be disturbed,” Mayor Anthony DeLuca told LocalSource on April 27. “Fines will ensue if the solicitor does not pay heed to the registry.” DeLuca noted that, through research, the council learned that many nearby towns have a “no-knock” registry and have been “very successful in keeping unwanted solicitors from homes that were registered.”
The ordinance follows complaints from residents at an April council meeting. In addition to residents’ concerns, a live petition circulated on the website MoveOn.org urging the council to adopt a no-solicitation rule.
While the borough can’t ban solicitation altogether, DeLuca said, “we looked how other towns were handling unwanted solicitations.”
“Along with our no soliciting and peddling ordinance that is already in place, as well as a diligent police force, we believe the ‘no-knock’ registry will complement an already viable solution to unwanted solicitations in our borough,” DeLuca told LocalSource.