Safe Neighborhoods: Renewed Call for Traveling Sales Crew Regulation

While the state budget was crawling forward this fall, a Dunn County court decision made major headway for community victims of traveling sales crews, which was recently upheld by an Appeals Court. The decision held liable the traveling sales crew company for the hiring of an individual they knew was a risk with a criminal history. While working on the traveling sales crew, a member of the crew forced his way into a Hudson woman’s home and raped and beat her. Traveling sales crews can often be safe harbor for criminals moving from state to state. This decision has highlighted a string of crimes committed by traveling sales crews, many of the same companies that have crews in Wisconsin going from door to door. For information on the criminal activity of over 250 high profile members of traveling sales crews visit www.travelingsalescrews.info.

In September of this year, six individuals were arrested in Mequon for violating solicitation laws, they were warned by police but still went back to work in Mequon the following day. The 43 year old crew chief had a felony warrant from Colorado and a record with 15 known alias names. His extensive criminal history includes several drug offenses, assault with a deadly weapon, domestic abuse and battery.

The traveling sales crew bill was first introduced in the 2001-2003 session and has been introduced in subsequent Legislative sessions only to die at the end of session in an Assembly Committee. There is no excuse for the continued opposition to a bill to simply require traveling sales crews to register with the Department of Workforce Development. The Assembly has no excuse for delaying basic human protections for employees of traveling sales crews, like the right to be paid for their work.

Every day people with known criminal history go from door to door in this state. Our neighbors, family members, and baby sitters that answer the door are at risk. Some members of the Legislature call themselves tough on crime, yet the simple registry of sales crews cannot move forward in the Assembly.  The traveling sales crew bill has languished in the Assembly Small Business Committee chaired by Representative Moulton since April.

We need to know what companies are in our state going door to door and we need to know who they employ. Without this nexus of information we do not have the ability to find and arrest crew members with outstanding warrants or the ability to go after a company that is negligent in its actions by hiring dangerous criminals. It is time for opposing Legislators to step up to the plate on this issue.

The only registered organization in opposition to Senate Bill 80, Malinda’s Law, is the door to door sales company, Southwestern Company. In support on the website are: Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, Wisconsin Independent Business Inc, Wisconsin Merchants Federation, and the Wisconsin State AFLCIO.

On the interstate in Janesville in March of 1999, seven children and young adults died and five more were seriously injured in a van crash. The driver of the vehicle was operating without a license and attempted to switch driving with a passenger when the vehicle passed a police officer on the highway. His action caused the crash and tragic death of members of the traveling sales crew. One of those members was Malinda Turvey, daughter of Phil Ellenbecker from Verona. Since the crash Ellenbecker has worked tirelessly to regulate traveling sales crews and give employees of the crews basic employee rights. Phil and Malinda are the inspiration for this legislation.

It is my hope that Representative Moulton, R – Chippewa Falls and the rest of the Assembly Small Business Committee will stand up for safety in our communities and pass out of committee the simple regulation of traveling sales crews in Wisconsin. For more information on Malinda’s Law Senate Bill 80 please contact my office at 608-266-6670.