Proposed ordinance would prohibit aggressive panhandling in Snoqualmie
Published 8:30 am Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Aggressive solicitors in Snoqualmie could be facing up to $1,000 in fines if the city council approves a new ordinance proposed by the Snoqualmie Police Department. At the April 25 Snoqualmie City Council meeting, an ordinance to prohibit coercive solicitation at 12 points along the Snoqualmie Parkway was introduced.
Police Captain Nick Almquist said the ordinance was proposed in order to have matching ordinances in Snoqualmie and North Bend, both of which use the Snoqualmie Police Department. A similar ordinance proposed by police was passed in North Bend in 2015 and can be found in chapter 9.20 of the North Bend municipal code.
“The main reason for it was we like to have mirrored municipal codes for each city, so the officers don’t have to differentiate what is lawful in one city and not the other,” he said. “North Bend adopted this earlier and we wanted to have that same type of ordinance in Snoqualmie.”
The ordinance defines coercive solicitation as aggressive, pushy behavior going beyond simple solicitation, getting in the way of pedestrians or cars and getting into people’s personal space without their consent.
“It really is in the realm of overt behavior that would be more than asking for money, getting no response, then going beyond that,” he said. “[Doing] what an unreasonable person would do and that behavior continues to persist.”
The police have seen this type of aggressive panhandling more in North Bend, but there have been instances in Snoqualmie as well which led them to propose the ordinance. The 12 affected intersections along the Snoqualmie Parkway are at:
• Southeast 99th Street
• Southeast 96th Street
• Southeast Jacobia Street
• Southeast Swenson Drive
• Southeast Douglas Street
• Southeast Center Street
• Fairway Avenue Southeast
• Fisher Avenue Southeast
• Orchard Avenue Southeast
• Allman Avenue Southeast
• Better Way Loop Southeast and
• Railroad Avenue Southeast.
An infraction of this ordinance would be a misdemeanor which could lead to a fine of up to $1,000 or up to 90 days in jail.
The city council will be voting on the ordinance at its next meeting on Monday, May 9. Council meetings are 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month and are held at Snoqualmie City Hall.
