Massachusetts-Police slam doors on JW's

DannyHaszard

Police slam doors, church gripes comment box Taunton Gazette, MA - 1 hour ago
RAYNHAM - Jehovah's Witnesses claim a Raynham police policy violates federal law by interfering with their religious obligation to go door to door to perform ... RAYNHAM - Jehovah's Witnesses claim a Raynham police policy violates federal law by interfering with their religious obligation to go door to door to perform public ministry.

Police require anyone doing door-to-door solicitations or sales to notify them beforehand. "We certainly don't do it for any religious or ethnic reason," Police Chief Louis J. Pacheco said. "We do it for everyone. I don't care what you're selling." In a May 30 letter to the Board of Selectmen, Paul Polidoro, the associate counsel for the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, said several Jehovah's Wintesses have complained to him about the policy. He sent a similar letter in 2004. "Our ministers have informed us of several recent incidents where your police officers have advised our local ministers that they must provide Raynham police with a prior notification telephone call before they can engage in their public ministry," Polidoro wrote. "We trust that this incident was the result of a lack of communication between the town of Raynham and its police department. We also trust, given the clearly established federal law, that there will be no further obstruction of the public ministry of Jehovah's Witnesses by Raynham police officials." Polidoro could not be reached for comment, and no one else from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society Legal Office returned calls by press time. The police often get calls from concerned residents when they see someone walking up to houses in the neighborhood, Pacheco said. "They do it during the daytime, and in a town like Raynham, half the houses are empty during the day," Pacheco said. When they get calls reporting a suspicious person, the police have to send out cruisers to make sure the person isn't a burglar, he said. If police know about a door-to-door solicitation beforehand, they can better assure homeowners. This eliminates the need to dispatch a cruiser and reduces the likelihood of police officers bothering public ministers and salespeople. "We never have any problems with the people out there doing their business - whether it's selling vacuum cleaners, educational products or religion," Pacheco said. "But the problem is that bad guys can use them as cover." Selectmen Chairman Donald McKinnon sided with Pacheco. "Citizens have every right to say, 'Who is this individual?'" McKinnon said. "The Police Department and citizens have every right to question their identity." Polidoro's letter referred to a 2002 case, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York Inc. v. Village of Stratton, in which the Supreme Court ruled that the policy in Stratton, Ohio, of requiring door-to-door solicitors to fill out permits was unconstitutional. Pacheco said he was not familiar with the case. "We definitely don't want to infringe on people's rights, but in the law enforcement business there's a trade-off between individual rights and public safety," he said. "We have to balance these." [email protected] reporter send coments [email protected] call us at (508) 880-9000 or fax us at (508) 880-9119. http://www.raynhampd.com/form.htm Contact Raynham police online form

blondie

Notifying police in advance is an old requirement in some areas.

Saying JWs are "selling" anything nowadays is hard to support with the end of "contributions" in 1990. Hardly any JWs I know ask for money at the door. Contribute to the "worldwide work" and ask only if someone takes a publication and not connect the publication with asking for money.......no, the JWs I know won't do it.

Blondie

Gopher

Polidoro's letter referred to a 2002 case, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York Inc. v. Village of Stratton, in which the Supreme Court ruled that the policy in Stratton, Ohio, of requiring door-to-door solicitors to fill out permits was unconstitutional.

The Watchtower's representative Polidoro is comparing apples and oranges here. What this Massachusetts city wants is merely a courtesy call from the JW's before they go door-to-door there. This differs from filling out permits. Why cannot these JW's "give Caesar's things to Caesar" which in this case seems to be just a phone call?

sf

Good idea there Paul P. to send cryptic threatening letters to the evil police departments of this "wicked system of things".

Smart guy.

sKally

mkr32208

I'm personally in favor of background checks on all door to door and in home service personal! Should be a law! Who wants a pedophile knocking on the door!

blondie

Does this mean that Mormons will have to give courtesy calls too?

Hmmmmmmm

Blondie

Virgochik

I don't see what's unreasonable about it at all. The police are merely asking for a heads up from the Witnoids so they don't waste resources responding to calls about people in the neighborhoods. They aren't asking the Wits to get permission or anything, just the courtesy of letting them know they intend to work a neighborhood. How hard is that, and why are they making such a big deal of it? Seems like a simple request, and they're making themselves look like buttheads. Aren't they supposed to obey, if it doesn't conflict with God's law?

Jourles

Ha! I was just in Raynham/Taunton last week for work.

I agree with other posters here as well. Back in Breckenridge, CO, we had to drop by the local police dept to let them know which area we would be in. Up there, you have many transients and tourists. The locals would get suspicious of people in suits canvassing the streets. We didn't have to do it, it was just a courtesy thing with the police so if someone was to call them and ask what is the deal with these suits they could just say it's the jw's. We never encountered anyone hostile enough to call the police on us though.

Stealth453

I think they should be banned. End of problem.. If they insist on banging on doors, jail them. If the GB counsels them to act against the ban, charge and jail them too.

AudeSapere

I grew up in Bergen County, NJ in the Englewood congregation. We always reported to the police the boundaries of the territories we were working and the time frame we expected to be there. For some reason, I remember that sometimes we were able to phone in the 'heads-up' but mostly someone from the group had to report in person.

All part of the work.

-Aude.

Massachusetts-Police slam doors on JW's

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