Along with a multitude of dogs running at large, panhandlers and property crime, reports to police of another kind — door-to-door salespeople — also rise with the temperatures.

In particular, two groups have made themselves known in the Flathead Valley and in the blotters of local law enforcement.

The first is the annual return of at-risk youth organized by Dean Scheller as the Kalispell Youth Project.

The youths paint address numbers and an American flag emblem on street curbs. However, some people have reported the group to law enforcement either out of a lack of information on who they are or with claims that the youths were being pushy in their requests for money.

“If people are overly insistent, aggressive or attempt to get you to pay for something you have not requested or ordered, don’t hesitate to give us a call,” Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said.

According to Curry, the activity is acceptable and the people can ask for money, but people are under no obligation to pay if they did not request the work.

In Whitefish, the curb-painting crew prompted a flurry of complaints to city officials and led the City Council to ask city staffers to investigate whether there was cause to revoke Scheller’s business license.

Another group being reported up to three or more times per day involves people walking around, usually in pairs, knocking on doors and selling cleaning products.

“We have checked them out and they are legitimately selling items,” Curry said.

He said that the activity of such groups is cyclic and that the number of calls his office receives depends on what area the groups are working.

“Some days we get no calls, some days we get several calls,” Curry said. “We always get calls any time anybody is doing door-to-door things, and again, we’re always happy to respond and check the people out.”

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at [email protected].