Police in California attempting to reduce the frequency of teen loitering

By Staff Writer

Law enforcement officials in a California community have begun cracking down on late-night loitering by teenagers.

The Orange County Register reports that one local store owner claims that the teens who are hanging around his store are hurting business. He said that some teens make a mess, clog the entrance and take drugs around his shop. He said most of the adolescents are between the ages of 13 and 16 and they typically stay in or around the store for hours at a time.

California law states that anyone under the age of 18 cannot loiter, idle, wander, stroll or play in certain public areas between 10 p.m. and daylight the next morning. To combat this recent trend, one local police officer said that there will be extra patrolling around popular hangout spots for teens, and he will also contact businesses and encourage them to report any disruptive incidents.

Change.org reports that some kids frequently loiter because they have nothing else to do, especially in underprivileged communities with a lack of after-school activities. The website says that a noisemaker called the Mosquito was recently installed in a Washington DC neighborhood, armed with an obnoxious, high-pitched sound that is designed to fend off teen loiterers.

The Mosquito was installed after local business owners reported fights, theft and drug deals related to loitering.