Clark Cracks Down on Late Night Solicitors

Clark Council will introduce an ordinance at Monday's meeting to crack down on late night solicitors knocking on doors in the township. The meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m in council chambers above the police station (and will also include a Clark Pop Warner awards presentation).

The new ordinance stipulates that solicitors can only knock on doors between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. from April 15 - Oct. 15 (when daylight hours are longer) and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Oct. 16 - April 14.

The ordinance states that,"All persons and business entities, irrespective of whether the same are public interest, non-profit, commercial or for profit, are prohibited from polling, surveying, soliciting, distributing hand bills, calling from house to house for monies and donation, in all residential zones, except during the following periods." Read the full ordinance here.

"I’m getting a little anxious about solicitors hitting doors when it’s dark out," Mayor Bonaccorso explained at a December meeting when council asked for the ordinance to be drafted. "I don't want seniors, children or anyone having to open their door for a stranger at night, whether the cause is legitimate or not. It’s dark out, and I really don’t want them to have to spend more time with that person than they want to. We want to minimize opportunities for people to try to prey on our citizens. With this ordinance, this way if do have legitimate people, the police department will have something to point them to that says only during certain hours."

The mayor added that he urges all residents, especially after dark, to call the police department to make sure solicitors have the proper paperwork and are legitimate.