NC jurisdictions clamping down on panhandlers

In the years since the city of Raleigh started requiring panhandlers to obtain permits to beg, police have issued many hundreds of citations. But the get-tough approach has not ended begging, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. Instead the homeless have migrated from downtown streets far into the suburbs, spurring new rules governing the needy in those places as well. In November, the Wake County Board of Commissioners voted to require permits for panhandling. The permits would be issued only when an applicant can supply a photo ID card – something most homeless people and many beggars lack. And to the east, Johnston County is considering a permit requirement that includes a criminal background check.