LaSalle staff advise residents to check solicitor permits, call police for unregistered door-to-door sellers

LaSalle city staff urged residents to require permits from door-to-door solicitors and to call police if a solicitor cannot show city credentials, saying that none of the solicitors seen recently were registered with the city.

"What a lot of people don't know is that you actually do have to get registered with the City of LaSalle to go door-to-door," said Mackenzie Smith of the LaSalle Police Department, who described the application requirements and background checks the city conducts for solicitors.

Smith said the city requires applicants to come to City Hall to complete an application, provide business identification and a state sales tax certificate or cancellation form, show a written cancellation policy, and undergo a background check. The city-issued permit includes the city seal and the business name; residents should ask to see that permit and check the issuance date before engaging with a solicitor.

Police advised residents to "do what you feel comfortable with," Smith said. "If you're not comfortable opening up the door and talking to them, you certainly don't have to." If a solicitor cannot produce a permit, Smith said, residents should call the police non-emergency number provided in the recording: 815-223-2131 and give a brief description of what the solicitor is selling, whether they were on foot or in a vehicle and the direction of travel.

Brent Bner, director of community development, recounted an encounter in which a solicitor claimed to be registered with LaSalle but in fact had a permit from the City of Peru; LaSalle police contacted the person and the solicitor stopped canvassing the neighborhood. "They actually had a City of Peru license," Bner said, noting that a permit from another city does not authorize solicitation in LaSalle.

The city said residents may pick up a free no-solicitation sign at City Hall (recording indicated the sign is available at 745 Second Street) and that solicitors are asked to respect posted signs. Officials also said they will keep a running list of registered solicitors on the city website and will post images on social media so residents can verify a solicitor before answering the door.

The recording closed with contact information: police non-emergency 815-223-2131; the City Hall phone number provided in the recording was not fully specified, and Brent Bner gave his office extension as 5028 for further questions.