Falls Church Police Urge Magazine Subscription Solicitors to Get Proper Permit

For $10, people going door-to-door selling magazines and such can obtain a permit to such legally.

Failure to adhere to section 8-194 of the City of Falls Church ordinance, which details the steps to sell things door-to-door in the city, could land you in court and possibly a fine. Over the last three years, Capt. Rick Campbell said the city’s police department has received hundreds of phone calls from residents complaining of people trying to sell them magazine subscriptions. Of the hundreds of phone calls, only 11 people in the last three years have been charged with solicitation without a permit.

“When somebody does come by selling things, we get calls,” Campbell said Thursday. “They have to have a permit here in the city.”

This year alone, the Better Business Bureau has received 662 complaints of people going door-to-door selling magazine subscriptions, said BBB spokeswoman Kelsey Owen. There were more than 1,100 complaints received by the BBB in 2010 and 2009 respectively, she said. Campbell said most of the people comply with the Falls Church ordinance and get the proper permit. The $10 fee covers a background check, fingerprints and a photo, Campbell said. He could not say what the maximum fine was someone could receive for a charge of solicitation without a permit if convicted in court. Offenders are given a summons to appear in court and released, Campbell said.

All John Thomas wanted to do on the evening of May 4 was walk into his home and continue spending time with his 4-year-old son. That was before Rhosunda Gardner, 18, of College Park, Md. approached him and tried to sell him a magazine subscription in front of his Falls Church City home. Gardner approached Thomas as he led his son up the driveway by his hand to their home.

Thomas said he has had people come to his home and sell him magazines in the past, but this time things escalated to a front yard dispute between himself and Gardner.

“My son was right there, I should have just walked away,” Thomas said.

He said the woman became belligerent and even accused him of being a racist after he offered her a small job to cut his grass. Fearing retaliation from the woman, he called the police. About an hour later, another person called the police on the same woman.

“There’s a frightening component to this,” Thomas said. “I don’t know where they’ve come from but they know where I live.”

Gardner will appear in court on a solicitation without a permit charge on June 8, Campbell said.

The police urge residents to call if they feel someone is selling things door-to-door illegally or suspect the salespeople are up to something. Campbell said he would rather have officers go out a thousand times to check on a tip rather than one time after something serious has happened.

“Permits must be visible at all times,” Campbell said. “If you don’t see a permit on the person, don’t answer the door.”

According to the BBB, crews of people selling magazines door-to-door are out now that the weather is warmer to make money. Some of the salespeople will pressure potential customers to buy the subscription immediately, according to the BBB. For more information on how to detect door-to-door scams, click here.