Panhandlers may soon be required to wear photo IDs in order to beg on Akron's streets.
City Council will consider legislation Monday that would attempt to curtail what city officials call ``the panhandling business.''
As part of the proposal by Mayor Don Plusquellic, those soliciting immediate donations would have to register annually to be fingerprinted and photographed. There will be no fee.
Those passively soliciting with a sign or nonverbal requests would be exempt. And anyone arrested for aggressive panhandling within the past two years would be denied a permit.
The edict would also ban panhandlers within 20 feet of the Civic Theatre, Canal Park, Lock 3 and any financial institution, ATM or sidewalk cafe.
Existing ordinances already restrict panhandlers from approaching cars and bus stops. A violation constitutes a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
The new proposal mimics a Dayton law passed in December 2000. Similar laws have been passed in Atlanta and Cincinnati, the latter of which has triggered a lawsuit.
``Their police report to ours that people have an increased feeling of safety,'' said Deputy Mayor Dave Lieberth, chair of the Downtown Operations Group. ``When we survey downtown businesses, panhandling is usually the No. 1 or No. 2 complaint.''
Akron police make about 40 panhandling arrests annually, Lieberth said. He said most of the offenders have addresses and aren't homeless at all.
``That's their business,'' he said. ``People take the bus into Akron to panhandle.''
A good Samaritan may even be supporting addictive habits, according to the Haven of Rest Ministries and Summit County's Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board. Both groups support the effort.
While the city has a responsibility to its businesses and visitors, ACCESS Inc. Executive Director Sylvia Hines said it walks a thin line between empowering panhandlers and violating them.
ACCESS shelters provide emergency and transitional shelter for Akron's homeless population -- many of whom feel panhandling is their best way to feed their families, given their circumstances, she said.
``We seem to make the assumption that there are enough good-paying jobs for everyone to have one,'' Hines said. ``It gets dicey because sometimes there are reasons why people are trying to stay under the radar, and I'm not sure I would want to have my fingerprints taken if my life circumstances put me in a situation where I would have to panhandle.''
As part of the mayor's proposal, the Downtown Akron Partnership would educate the public on how to help residents who really need assistance.
``Akron as a city has quality programs in place to manage hungry and homeless people,'' Lieberth said. ``What we want people to do is give money to those programs instead.''
The issue will be discussed by the council at a 3:30 p.m. hearing Monday in City Council chambers on the third floor of Akron City Hall on High Street.
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