Police Advise Residents on Door-to-Door Sales People

Did someone show up at your door trying to sell something lately?

Several Patch readers have recently reported that representatives from alarm companies have come to their homes to try and sell alarm systems.

Local police say that some of these representatives do in fact have permits to go door-to-door, but not all of them. Lt. Brian Donnelly of the Scotch Plains Police Department said that several permit applications from these types of representatives have recently come in.

Donnelly said that the police department requires anyone interested in soliciting door-to-door in the township to apply for a permit to do so. Fanwood police have the same rule. The company is then checked out to make sure it's reputable before it's approved to do business in the area.

"We look to make sure they're legitimate, to make sure there's been no problems," Donnelly said. "But we don't look to see if it's a good product."

Last week, a Siren Home Security representative was arrested in Fanwood after it was discovered that he had an active warrant out of Harrison. Vladmir Kospovski, 22, of Phoenix, AZ, was going door-to-door on S. Martine Avenue. Fanwood Police Det. Eugene Chin said that Kospovski didn't have a permit, and that to his knowledge no Siren employees have permits in the borough.

"Residents should ask if they have a solicitor's permit, and if they don't, call the police," Chin said of all door-to-door sales people.

Donnelly added that residents should be careful even if someone does in fact have the rights to be selling to them.

"Just be cautious," Donnelly said. "Just because someone has a permit doesn't mean you should just say, 'come into my house,' or give them your personal information."