By Cindy Schroeder
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Cathy Stover said a "no knock" law won't come soon enough for her Villa Hills community. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

VILLA HILLS - First telemarketers were put on hold with "no call" lists.

Now Villa Hills has joined a growing number of U.S. communities with "no knock laws" to keep pesky salespeople away.

Solicitors who knock on the wrong door in this Northern Kentucky suburb after Halloween could face steep fines and possible jail time.

Although the law applies to all door-to-door sales, even those by nonprofit groups, Villa Hills police say they don't plan to arrest Girl Scouts for selling cookies.

"This isn't aimed at Girl Scouts, trick-or-treaters or kids who are selling raffle tickets for a ball team," said Villa Hills Council Member Bob Kramer. "This is just a tool for the police to handle pesky salespeople. When salespeople stop at the (county) building to get their occupational license, they'll be told to check with the city clerk and find out which people are on the no-knock list, so they know which houses to bypass."

The "no knock" law can't come soon enough for Cathy Stover, whose home on a Villa Hills cul-de-sac is a prime target for solicitors selling everything from windows to cleaning solutions.

"My husband and I sometimes wonder if we have 'sucker' written on our roof," the 52-year-old elementary school principal said.

"I don't mind the Girl Scouts and the children soliciting for schools. What upsets me are the constant interruptions from high-pressure salespeople who invade our privacy, interrupt our dinner and won't take 'no' for an answer. I've even had some solicitors stick their foot in the door when I try to shut it."

Villa Hills' "no knock" law takes effect Nov. 1. First-time offenders face a $250 fine and could spend up to 90 days in jail. Each subsequent offense calls for a $500 fine and up to a year in jail.

By Thursday, 39 households had signed up for the "zero knock," list at the Villa Hills city building.

The city also is developing a special "no knock" sticker for households that don't want door-to-door sales.

Although Villa Hills' law doesn't exempt any groups, officials said a resident must register a complaint before authorities can take action.

"When you have Girl Scouts selling cookies and the guy coming around to collect for the newspaper, you don't want them characterized as trespassers," said Villa Hills City Attorney Mike Duncan.

Villa Hills took the idea from Erlanger, which adopted its own "no knock" list in September, 2002. Violators in that Kenton County city face a $100 fine for the first violation and $500 for each subsequent one.

"We've had all positive reaction to our list," said Erlanger City Clerk Linda Carter. "The last time I looked, there were about 30 or so (households) on it. We even had a couple of residents sign up for the list after people came to their doors."

Changing tactics

Now that many states and the Federal Trade Commission have adopted anti-telemarketing registries, some companies are switching from phone sales pitches to door-to-door solicitations.

In response, communities across the United States are adopting "no knock" or "Green River ordinances" patterned after a Wyoming city of the same name that banned door-to-door sales in 1931 when residents complained about high pressure encyclopedia salesmen, said Raymond Vasvari, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio.

Most communities jumping on the latest no-knock bandwagon are suburbs where homes are close together, luring salespeople.

"You've got to write these ordinances one-size-fits-all," said Vasvari.

In 2002, the ACLU successfully challenged a "no knock" law in the tiny Ohio village of Stratton, Ohio (population 287). The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the law that Jehovah's Witnesses had objected to on free speech grounds.

"Too often, cities will have one rule for commercial groups and another rule for charitable ones," Vasvari said. "The more lines you draw ... the more First Amendment trouble you're likely to encounter."

Communities also can't outright ban door-to-door solicitation or set hours that are too restrictive, he said.

"You have to set reasonable hours," Vasvari said. "It's got to be a big enough window that (sales) people can get out and do what they need to do."

ACLU challenge

In Kennedy Township, a bedroom community of Pittsburgh, Pa., officials are fighting an ACLU challenge of that government's two-month-old no knock law.

Until the dispute is resolved, Township Manager Paul Bingham said officials are enforcing all but a disputed provision of the law exempting religious and charitable groups and anyone canvassing for votes.

No one has been cited yet in Kennedy Township, which has about 200 households on its no-knock list. Offenders face fines of up to $1,000 per occurrence per day.

"We're not against legitimate sales people or people going door to door talking about their political philosophy or collecting for a charitable group," Bingham said. "Our main concern is fraud and home invasions. Having (a no knock law) offers protection to all of your citizens, especially elderly ones, and it gives you enforcement powers. Residents here have told us they're very much in favor of this list."

Duncan said Villa Hills "took the good parts of the Kentucky 'no call' statute and the good parts of the 'no knock' ordinance (now proposed) in Littleton, Col.," in drafting its law. The Kenton County suburb also got input from the Kentucky League of Cities and a statewide municipal law center at Northern Kentucky University's Salmon P. Chase College of Law.

Elsewhere in Greater Cincinnati, cities including Fairfax, Mason, Lebanon, Forest Park, Norwood, Fort Thomas and Independence, and Green and Springfield Townships, regulate transient vendors through licensing.

Earlier this year, Anderson Township revised its door-to-door regulations when critics noted the original proposal would have prohibited ice cream trucks. The new resolution was adopted after trustees held what some referred to as "the Haagen-Dazs hearings."

Locally, "most of the people who've signed up ... are senior citizens," said Villa Hills Police Chief Mike Brown. "Senior citizens are a little apprehensive about opening their door to strangers, especially now that it's getting dark earlier."

To get on the "no knock" or "zero call" list, visit the city building, 719 Rogers Road. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For information on the new law, effective Nov. 1, call (859) 341-1515 on a weekday.

E-mail cschroeder@enquirer.com