No loitering: what a business can do about people hanging around after hours

Start with the cheap things that change the place: light, layout and signs. Add a simple routine for staff and know which number to call. Then use cameras to tell you while someone is there, so you can act instead of finding out the next morning.

None of it needs a guard. None of it works if you skip the first steps.

Rules on loitering, trespass and what you can ask someone to do differ by city and state, and a sign does not carry the same weight everywhere. Ask your local police what they can act on, and ask a lawyer if you need to be sure.

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Dark spots are where people settle and where trouble is hard to see. Good light is one of the cheapest fixes.

• Light under awnings, in recessed doorways and along the side and back of the building.
• Light the back lot, the rear exits and the bin area.
• Use weatherproof fixtures that are hard to break, on a timer or a photocell so they come on at dusk without anyone remembering.
• Fix broken lights quickly. A dark patch that stays dark tells people nobody is looking.

Make the place less comfortable to linger in and easy to see into.

• Trim bushes so there is a clear line of sight from the street.
• Remove or change benches, ledges and planters that people sit on.
• Close the lot to cars after hours, with a gate or a chain.
• Keep the area clean and repaired. A well-kept property tells people it is watched.

Put signs at every entrance, high enough that they are not easily taken down. Say that it is private property and give the hours the property is closed to the public. A sign helps when the police need to see that you told people. Whether it carries weight depends on where you are.

Agree what staff do before the first time it happens.

• Greet people and ask politely if they are waiting for someone. Many are.
• Do not confront a group, or someone who seems angry or unwell. Safety comes first.
• Keep a short log: date, time, place, what they looked like and what happened. Patterns show who comes back and when.
• If someone seems unwell or in danger, call for help instead of moving them on. Some people near a building are in trouble, not planning anything.

If someone refuses to leave, call the police on their non-emergency number. Use 911 only when anyone is in danger or a crime is happening. Most areas have a non-emergency number. Find yours on the police department's website and keep it where staff can see it.

Ask your local police, before you need them, what they want from you to act on private property after hours.

Cameras do three jobs here. Visible cameras can put some people off. Recordings show the police what happened. And with alerts added, the cameras tell you while someone is there.

Here is what we add to the cameras you already have:

• People in a zone you mark, outside your closed hours, with a photo. This is standard on every site. Mark a doorway, a side alley, a back lot or a loading dock.
• Loitering alerts, set up for your site: a person who stays in a marked area longer than the time you allow. You tell us the areas, the hours and how long counts as too long, and we set it up with you for your cameras. It is not switched on for everyone.
• A covered camera and a camera that goes offline, because covering a camera is often the first step in a theft.
• A second, larger model checks each event before you are alerted. The alert is a photo with the camera and the time, on WhatsApp, Telegram or the Foreman app.

• They do not speak to the person, sound a siren, send anyone or call the police. You, or someone you choose, decide what happens next.
• They cannot tell you who the person is, or why they are there. Someone waiting for a ride looks the same as someone watching your door.
• They do not fix a camera that cannot see the spot at night. Better light does that.

For people on your site when you are closed, read after-hours alerts from your existing cameras. For loitering at a fence or gate, see loitering detection. If you are weighing a guard or a remote service, read CCTV and remote video monitoring.