Loitering Laws Seem To Apply To Teens More Often Than Adults

Let’s say a few friends are shopping at NorthTown on a Saturday afternoon. They stop at the food court for something to eat. Afterward, with all their garbage cleaned up, they sit talking. What might happen?

Technically, they are loitering. But if it’s not a busy day and security can tell they’ve just finished eating, they may be ignored or security may come up and talk to them briefly. They’ll probably give those teens time to get up and start shopping again.

But if those teens have been there quite awhile - let’s say, 20 minutes without eating - security may come up and ask for them to get going and start to walk around the mall.

And if it’s a busy day, like one of those holiday shopping days we just got over with, security will not be as easy and will ask for the teens to get moving, maybe even leave the mall.

Is that fair to teens? Mall security says yes.

“That’s because we have to get those tables free for people who want to eat,” said John Vansant, NorthTown’s security director. “But we teach our officers a kinder approach and tell them to explain why they are asking you to get moving.”

NorthTown is a hot spot for teens to shop and hang out. But are we welcome there?

Brian Farnsworth, 18, wonders. He was at NorthTown with friends after shopping for homecoming in September when they grabbed something to drink at Orange Julius and went upstairs so a friend could smoke a cigarette.

Shortly after they met their friends, security came up to them and said they had five minutes to leave the mall. When the teens asked why, the security guards said they were loitering. They were escorted out of the mall to their car.

“(In general) we are treated fairly; when there’s a big group of us I can see why security would watch us,” he said. “But when there’s a group of 5 or 6 people they shouldn’t have to watch us closely.”

Vansant says the mall is teen-friendly.

“Teens are some of our best customers,” he said. “A lot of these stores are designed for teens. Everyone is welcome.”

But not all the time. If security senses people are loitering - teens or adults - they will take action.

“Are teens more likely to loiter? Probably,” Vansant said, even though they may not know they are doing so. That may be why loitering is generally related to teens shopping or hanging around malls. But it’s not a teen-only issue; it’s a rule made for everyone to obey.

To be in the mall, security asks that you follow mall rules, which include not loitering, using profanity, yelling to others a distance away from you or down a floor, standing in groups that will inconvenience others, running or horseplay. These rules are, again, for everyone, adult and teens.

The only rule that really applies only to teens involves truancy. If there are teens at the mall during the school day, security will approach them and determine if they are suppose to be in school or not. If they are, security will ask them to leave the premises, but say they can come back after school is out.

The smoking section is a particular hot spot for teens.

“Teens started coming and they would all hang out in the smoking section,” said Mary J. Meese, a sophomore at North Central High School. “Security would tell us to leave the smoking section and they would say we weren’t welcome there. We come now only a couple at a time, not in big groups like we used to.”

Vansant said teens are allowed in the smoking section but security might ask very young-looking teens to put their cigarettes out, since they’re underage.

Vansant said, overall, teens are respectful of mall rules and there is generally no trouble.

“When there is a problem teens are responsive and correct the problem when security guards ask,” Vansant said. “Whether you’re a teen or an adult, you should be treated in the same level of respect, and that’s what we try to teach.”