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I gotta admit after reading some of the responses, I may now see this situtation through the OP's eyes. I haven't had much experience with solicitors (on the homeowner side, anyway) and I never thought about the fact that these guys might just be fishing for easy targets. This thread has definitely opened my eyes to this situation and I'll have to re-consider my future interactions with these people.

That's what I love about this place... lots of great info and different opinions that can help us all to be enlightened (especially me).

Crossfire wrote:Sorry, kid.

There it is!!

It's the disconnect between old farts and young pups. Most young people today don't see tats as anything more than body art or a way to express themself. Old people see tats as something that an upstanding member of society would never do, which is completely ridiculous in today's society.

And I go back to my previous statement... the OP did not know if these two had the required permits. Unless the permits are required to be displayed while doing door-to-door (like a necklace), then he couldn't have known if they had the permits. He knew that permits are required for his neighborhood and assumed these two "shady" looking characters didn't have the required permits.

And just to answer any speculations... no, I don't have neck tats or sleeves. I don't have any visible tats. I just don't automatically think someone is a criminal or thug just because they have tats all over their body.

speedsix wrote:...he called the police because they were violating the permit law...period...just as he could have if they wore suits and ties and had Bibles under their arms...the law is for our protection...doesn't matter who's breaking it...

Incorrect. He had no idea if they were breaking the permit law. At least he doesn't say so in the OP and he couldn't have magically known they didn't have the required permit.

He called the cops because these two guys looked "shady"

Blindref757 wrote:Did you read that one of the guys had pot in his pocket? Legit people don't go door to door with baggy pants, neck tattoos and sleeves. Call me judgmental if you wish, but the whole "looks, walks, and quacks like a duck" theory fits here.

HA!! You didn't call the police because he had pot in his pocket. You called the police because you didn't like the way these two fellows looked. One of the guys having pot is just a coincidence.

And it is absolutely wrong to think legit people don't have neck tats and sleeves. I can specifically think of one guy in my church who works with our teen ministry. He will be going door to door in a couple of weeks trying to raise money for a summer camp. He's got neck tats, sleeves and wears baggy pants and he's just as legit as any person on this board.

speedsix wrote:

thenick_ttu wrote:Seems a little overboard to call the police in that situation. Assume these two really were just out soliciting and trying to raise money for a trip, how are they supposed to know they need a permit?

I've done some door-to-door soliciting for my church and I didn't know needing a permit was even a possibility so if that had been me at your door today, you would have gotten me a ticket... thanks alot.

...if someone is out in a neighborhood without submitting themself to police clearance and getting the permit required by law, they have EARNED the ticket...and, as often as not, police find something more is afoot than just soliciting without a permit...do it right and we'll see the permit and know that at least whoever's bothering us at the door is doing it legally...

Maybe they have technically "earned" the ticket but that doens't mean they should get a ticket. You or I probably "earn" a ticket every single day while driving (changing lanes without a blinker, going 1 MPH over the speed limit, etc). That doesn't mean we should get a ticket every time we earn one. Sometimes people just make minor mistakes or simply don't know. I still think it was overboard to call the police in this situation.

Seems a little overboard to call the police in that situation. Assume these two really were just out soliciting and trying to raise money for a trip, how are they supposed to know they need a permit?

I've done some door-to-door soliciting for my church and I didn't know needing a permit was even a possibility so if that had been me at your door today, you would have gotten me a ticket... thanks alot.