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Geneva council discusses aggressive panhandling code update amid enforcement and service questions
Summary
Councilors opened discussion about drafting local rules to define and address aggressive panhandling after businesses and residents reported increased incidents downtown. Police cautioned about short-term remedies absent broader state-level enforcement and data gaps.
The Geneva City Council opened a discussion about whether to amend city code to define and address "aggressive panhandling" after business owners and councilors reported increases in downtown incidents.
Councilor James Petropoulos said downtown businesses have reported people approaching customers aggressively and in some cases entering businesses to harass patrons. He proposed studying local code changes modeled on ordinances Buffalo, Rochester and New York City have used to restrict aggressive panhandling in defined public places, while preserving constitutionally protected solicitation and expressive activity.
Lieutenant Bilowitz of the Geneva Police Department told councilors that many behaviors associated with aggressive panhandling—harassment, disorderly conduct and obstructing passage—are already prohibited under state penal law, but that enforcement often offers only a short-term response. "After we arrest the person, we're just going to release them," Bilowitz said, noting the limits of criminal penalties when underlying issues like homelessness, substance use and lack of shelter are not addressed.
Councilors asked about the magnitude of recent activity; staff said police logged "at least 50 calls" downtown in the past month. Members discussed options including clearer local definitions of "aggressive" conduct, improved downtown business signage (no-loitering), focusing enforcement in business entrances and coordinating outreach and shelter referrals.
Several councilors emphasized that nonaggressive solicitation and people experiencing homelessness should not be criminalized. Others urged swifter enforcement when behavior crosses into harassment or threatens public safety. Councilor Peeler proposed staff and legal review to draft code language that would fit state law and past successful municipal models. The council did not vote on changes at the meeting but directed staff to review options with the police department and legal counsel.
