Winston-Salem police have started issuing warnings for violators of the city's expanded panhandling ordinance.
The City Council approved changes to the ordinance in December that bars panhandlers in the medians and requires them to have a permit.
The law went into effect Tuesday. The change does not affect charities or people who sell newspapers in the medians.
Police Chief Scott Cunningham said Wednesday that five people have applied for permits.
The permits are free but require a criminal-background check. Permits can be denied if the applicant has been previously convicted for violating the city's panhandling ordinance at least twice in the past two years or has two or more convictions for felony assault, communicating threats or illegal use of weapons.
Cunningham said the change in the ordinance will likely make panhandling here safer but won't eliminate the practice.
"There will still be panhandlers out there," he said.
Cunningham and Lori Sykes, the city attorney who handles public safety issues, said the city has received reports of panhandlers shouting at people in cars, one case in which a panhandler reached into a car and another in which a pedestrian was followed after turning down for a request for money.
"It is a public-safety concern," Sykes said.
Cunningham said anyone panhandling will be required to have a photo ID in addition to a permit. Panhandlers will be required to show the permit to law-enforcement officers if asked but are not required to show it to the general public.
The permits are good for a year.
Implementation of the law had been delayed as officials worked out the process of doing the background checks for permit applications.
Cunningham said the background checks can take from three to five business days to complete. Because of the newness of the law and the time it takes to process the background checks, almost anyone panhandling for the next few days won't be in compliance with the ordinance.
No one had been granted a permit as of Wednesday, Cunningham said.
Cunningham said violators will first be issued a warning but subsequently could be charged with a misdemeanor.
The criminal-background check would also identify applicants who have outstanding warrants against them, Cunningham said.
He also said he doesn't know the total number of people who panhandle on Winston-Salem streets but guesses it's about 100.
"This will help us get a handle on that," Cunningham said.
pgarber@wsjournal.com
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