Loitering can be a subjective offense. Depending on where the loitering occurs it can either be a crime by itself or it could lead to other, more egregious activities.
Right around 3 o’clock in the morning, a black sedan pulled into an ATM drive thru lane and stopped just past the machine. The shirtless driver got out of the vehicle and opened the back door, then pulled out a red object. He closed the door and re-entered his seat behind the steering wheel. There was no movement for several minutes. A trained ECAM security operator was watching the activity and activated the on-site audio warning to alert the individual that he was being watched and to leave the premises.
The subject ignored the warning. At one point, he got out of the vehicle and once again, rummaged through the back seat. Unsure of what was happening, our operator called to dispatch police. Minutes later, two police cruisers arrived. Four officers exited the cruisers and approached the parked car. The shirtless individual got out of the car and was handcuffed. Officers spoke to a female passenger who was in the backseat of the vehicle. She exited the car and sat on the median just down from the ATM.
A tow truck arrived to haul away the black sedan. The female suspect was escorted to a police car.
How to Help Deter Loitering at Your Property
Hanging around outside of a business for an extended amount of time is not generally a punishable offense. However, it can often be associated with criminal acts. Especially if the loitering occurs in the middle of the night.
You can reduce the chance of people loitering at your business by installing surveillance cameras. Often the mere sight of the cameras can be enough to keep people from lingering. If you want to take it a step further than this reactive solution to catch activity in progress, then you’ll want to make sure those cameras are being monitored in real time. With a live video monitoring solution, trained security professionals use analytics-based cameras to monitor your property to help catch events BEFORE damage occurs.
In this video, our monitoring operator kept eyes on the property to assess the situation. The suspects were first warned they were being watched by the audio our operator activated. When that was ignored, police were dispatched and were able to get to the property while the trespassers were still there.
It’s hard to ever know what people’s intentions are. A reactive security system such as an alarm or unmonitored cameras can only let you know what happened after the fact. With live video monitoring, you can increase the chances of catching the activity in progress to mitigate loss and damage.
For more information about a proactive security solution for your office building or other type of commercial property, contact us.
