The City Council finds it necessary and desirable to regulate solicitation in order to provide an effective opportunity for the occupants of residential property to protect themselves from the unwanted disruption of the peaceful and quiet enjoyment of their property and right to privacy caused by solicitors, to protect the rights to free speech guaranteed by the state and Federal Constitutions for lawful solicitors, and to provide a means by which those solicitors who choose to intrude upon and disrupt an occupant’s quiet enjoyment of property can be held accountable for such violations. The City Council has also been advised that based upon actual experiences in the City and in the opinion of crime prevention specialists nationwide, there is a direct connection between residential burglaries and unscrupulous solicitors. The creation of a registration requirement will enable City officials and citizens of the City to become informed concerning the individuals and organizations who choose to solicit in the City. This chapter also provides a mechanism for discouraging, through the civil infraction process, those solicitors who avoid registration and provides a mechanism to identify and discourage those whom would use solicitation as a form for criminal activity.
(Ord. 504, passed 2-13-1989)