Solicitation Law for the City of Richardson
The city of Richardson has an ordinance, making it illegal to solicit in residential neighborhoods without a permit, and without wearing a large, easy to read badge on their person (the Crime Watch Patrols look for these people everyday – and so should you.) The badge has the person’s name, and permit number. In order to obtain a permit, an individual must pass a criminal background check, and pay a fee.
If you see any suspicious looking individuals soliciting in our neighborhood without a permit, please call the police immediately. Use your best judgment (for example, don’t call the police on the Boy Scouts), and remember your instincts are almost always correct. Be sure to give them a complete description of the person with as much detail as possible including, gender, race, hair color, height, type and color of clothes as well as where you last saw them.
When it comes to home safety, please error on the side of caution. Go with your natural instincts. Call 911 immediately. The police do not mind responding to a call when it turns out to be nothing. What bothers the police most is when someone sees these types of events but decides not to “bother the police” because they think “it’s nothing” or “the police are too busy for this.” Let the professionals make that call; do your best to protect this neighborhood by calling 911.
