If it's on private property

• Note the time and location of the loitering.
• Record the number of people, their appearance and activities you observed.
• Meet with owners or managers and tell them you're concerned about the loitering on their property. 
• Ask business owners to post signs that say “No Trespassing” for the hours their business is closed. (For example, "No Trespassing 8 p.m. to 9 a.m.")

Contact your neighborhood Crime Prevention Specialist

If it's on public property

Loitering is not against the law, but call 911 if you think laws are being broken, such as:

• Drinking alcohol in public
• Soliciting prostitution
• Begging
• Disorderly conduct
• Disrupting pedestrian or vehicular traffic

If you see loitering or suspicious activity, follow the recommendations above. For your safety and the safety of others, do not approach people about their activities.

Note

It’s important to distinguish between disruptive or odd behavior and loitering or suspicious activity. Also, please note that the following are not indicators of suspicious activity:

• A person's racial or ethnic background
• A person's economic status
• A person's lifestyle