Loitering is more than inconvenient — it risks your business’s safety, reputation, and operations. When people linger around without purpose, it is a sign that your property is vulnerable. Unnecessary, unauthorized traffic around loading docks, entrances, or parking areas can lead to theft, vandalism, or safety concerns for your employees.
When your property faces repeated incidents, the key is to take proactive steps to keep people from loitering. Start with strong perimeter security to reduce risk while maintaining a safe, professional environment.
Why It’s Important to Prevent Loitering
When people stay on your property without a clear purpose, like buying, working, or engaging with services, they create security risks that can affect your business operations. These individuals often hang around your property’s entry points or in parking lots, either on foot or in a vehicle. While it may seem like a mere annoyance on the surface, loitering’s effects include:
- Increased crime risk: Loitering creates cover for more serious offenses like theft, vandalism, or targeted attacks. A site allowing a persistent, unauthorized presence signals low security, attracting criminal behavior.
- Reduced safety perception: Employees and customers may feel unsafe with people lingering around. When employees feel threatened, it can slow their productivity and affect recruitment or retention.
- Damage to reputation: Properties with visible loiterers are often seen as neglected or unsafe. This perception can drive away business partners and reduce long-term property value.
- Obstructed operations: When people loiter, they can block access points, interfere with deliveries, or delay employee shifts, impacting efficiency and inviting liability.
- Legal and liability issues: Property owners must maintain a safe environment. Failure to address loitering can lead to legal claims if incidents occur, as seen in the case of Watkins v. Alabama in 2023.
While addressing loitering is essential for property security, individual rights must also be respected. Loitering policies must be specific and comply with constitutional protections to avoid potential legal challenges, and commercial property owners must define their boundaries with clear signage.
Understanding Loitering Laws and Statutes
Loitering laws vary by state and municipality, but they generally prohibit individuals from lingering in public or private places without a clear purpose. However, under the First Amendment guarantee of free speech and the Fourteenth Amendment protection of civil rights, loitering laws must comply with constitutional protections.
In Papachristou v. City of Jacksonville, 405 U.S. 156 (1972), the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a vagrancy statute for being too vague. This case emphasizes that laws must give clear notice of prohibited conduct or risk being unenforceable.
Different states have varying laws in place that apply to loitering:
- New York Penal Law 240.35: New York prohibits loitering in a public place for solicitation in transportation facilities. While not always directly applicable to commercial lots, these laws are enforced when there’s suspicion of criminal intent.
- California Penal Code 647(h): California law makes loitering a misdemeanor on private property. For commercial property owners, this law supports enforcement if you post signs and mark your property as private.
- Illinois Municipal Ordinances: The Chicago Municipal Code 8-4-015 enforces loitering laws. These require officers to observe suspicious behavior before issuing warnings or arrests.
6 Ways to Deter Loitering and Protect Your Business
A multi-layered strategy is the best way to keep trespassers away when dealing with repeat loitering incidents. This security strategy uses the five D’s of perimeter security to deter loitering, detect an unwanted presence early, deny physical access to hot spots, and delay breach attempts to defend your assets.
1. Electric Fencing
Electric fencing goes behind your existing fence and offers a strong physical and psychological deterrent that discourages anyone from hanging around your perimeter or restricted areas. With signage, it sends a clear message that your property is protected. Products like The Electric Guard Dog™ Fence offer three layers of defense — an intimidating barrier, a safe but memorable pulsed electric shock, and alarms to call attention to an attempted breach.
2. Video Surveillance
With commercial video surveillance systems, you capture compelling evidence of loitering and crime. Position cameras at entry points, parking lots, and loading bays for optimal coverage. Adding this tool to your multi-layered security strategy lets you detect potential lingerers before they become problematic. Visible cameras are also intimidating, as loiterers prefer not to be watched.
3. Gate Access Control
Controlled entry reduces loitering by limiting who can access your property. With a Gate Access Control system that uses tools like key cards, biometric readers, and license plate recognition, only authorized personnel are allowed in. This layer adds another barrier for potential offenders and gives detailed logs of movement in and out of your business.
4. Alarm-Based Lighting
People loitering tend to prefer dark areas, and bright lights help discourage a lingering presence. Lighting also supports your video surveillance system by making it easier to capture clear images. Alarm-based perimeter security lights are an ideal complement to your electric fence — these lights stay lit for four minutes after the fence alarm is triggered, flood the area with white light using LEDs, and enable faster reaction when an incident occurs.
5. Clear Signage
Post signage clearly identifying your private property and warning people that no loitering is allowed around your perimeter. These warnings give law enforcement legal grounds to remove unauthorized people and help build a case if you need to file charges against these individuals.
6. Involve Employees
In addition to physical measures, train your employees to identify people loitering, cars parked in odd locations, vehicles repeatedly passing your property, and graffiti or vandalism. These are all signs of loitering that can lead to further crimes.
Stop Loitering With Proactive Perimeter Security from AMAROK
Loitering attracts unwanted attention and signals vulnerability, and it rarely stays harmless. Using a multi-layered strategy protects your team, property, and bottom line. Partnering with the right perimeter security service provider ensures your business gets multi-layered security unique to its needs.
AMAROK is an industry leader in perimeter security with standout resources, including a nationwide network of field support technicians. We can conduct a free threat assessment of your property and install your turnkey solutions quickly, with no upfront costs, because we provide security as a service. All you pay is a manageable monthly fee that includes maintenance, round-the-clock support, and our government relations team, which ensures your site has all the necessary security permits. Our solutions are also solar-powered, so they’re not subject to power outages.
Find your local AMAROK rep today and become part of the 99% of our customer base who experience no external theft after installation.
