Politics & Government

Town to Begin Creation of 'Do Not Knock' Registry Next Month

Residents will soon be able to register with the township to have their address placed on a non-solicitation list.

For interested South Brunswick residents, a knock on the door followed by a sales pitch for home improvement work will soon become a thing of the past.

The Township Council last week held a public hearing before approving an ordinance that will create a  whereby residents may register to have their address placed on a list of homes peddlers and solicitors are forbidden to visit in South Brunswick. 

"This is something that came about as a result of of several complaints the last couple of years," said Councilman Joseph Camarota. "This is something the township needs and it will be very beneficial for our residents."

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The ordinance applies only to those who are seeking to sell goods and services, but does not apply to census workers, door-to-door political campaigning or religious speech, such as Jehovah's Witnesses. 

Once the program begins, residents will fill out a form and submit it to the Township Clerk, who will collect, prepare and maintain the list of addresses where peddlers and sellers are not permitted on the premises. The clerk will submit an updated list to South Brunswick Police on a quarterly basis.

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The council also recently passed a ban on all door-to-door solicitors from visiting any residence after dusk. Dusk is defined in the ordinance as being a half-hour after sunset.

From Jan. 1, 2012 to March 7, 2013, there were 72 complaints filed with the township concerning solicitors. Of those complaints, 24 were for solicitors visiting a home after dusk. During that same time frame there were 97 residential burglaries reported in South Brunswick, with 29 of those incidents occurring after dusk.

During several of  the suspects posed as door-to-door salesman as a means of determining whether a resident was home before they broke in. Police have also responded to other suspicious incidents involving  thus the township hopes the registry will provide an added layer of protection.

"We want to make sure there is no connection between these types of activities," said Township Attorney Don Sears at a previous meeting.

The ordinance for the creation of the "do not knock" registry goes into effect 20 days after its final passage on May 14, so residents should be able to sign up for the list beginning on June 3.


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