'No-Knock' Ordinance Focus Of Manchester Public Meeting

If you don’t like it when strangers come to you door to try to sell you goods or services, a public meeting next week may have the information you will want to hear.

Manchester Township residents are invited to learn about and discuss a proposed “No Knock” registry in the township during a public workshop session scheduled for the Oct. 13 Township Council meeting.

Under the proposed ordinance revision, residents would be able to opt out of visits by door-to-door solicitors by registering with the Township Clerk’s Office. While the current ordinance does provide safeguards for the public, including a mandatory registration and permitting process for those going door-to-door, the “No Knock” provision would give residents greater control over their privacy at home, according to a news release from township officials.

The workshop will be held during the 6 p.m. regular Township Council meeting at the Manchester Municipal Complex court room located at 1 Colonial Drive.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend the council’s open meetings, which are typically held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Please note, the Oct. 13 meeting is a Tuesday due to the Columbus Day holiday on Oct. 12.

If approved, Township officials will work to create a convenient solution by which residents can add their residence to the “No Knock” list, should they chose to do so. Solicitors then would have to comply with the list when going door-to-door or face penalties. Neighboring towns, including Lakehurst and Jackson, recently adopted similar “No Knock” ordinances regulating door-to-door solicitations.