(a) Generally. No person shall loiter in or about any hotel, barroom, tavern, gambling house, disorderly house, public building, public place or bus terminal, or wander about the streets without any known means of support or without being able to give a satisfactory account of himself or herself.
No person shall collect in bodies or crowds for any unlawful purpose or for any purpose to the annoyance or disturbance of other persons.
(Ord. 405. Passed 1-23-85.)
(b) Circumstances Warranting Alarm. No person shall loiter or prowl in a place, at a time or in a manner not usual for law abiding individuals under circumstances that warrant alarm for the safety of persons or property in the vicinity or for the disruption of peace and order.
Among the circumstances which may be considered in determining whether or not alarm is warranted is the fact that the person takes flight upon appearance of a police officer, refuses to identify himself or herself or endeavors to conceal himself or herself or any object.
(c) Opportunity to Dispel Alarm. Unless flight by the person or other circumstances make it impractical a police officer shall, prior to any arrest for an offense under this section, allow the person an opportunity to dispel any alarm which would otherwise be warranted by requesting him or her to identify himself or herself and explain his or her presence and conduct.
(d) Conviction; Compliance by Officer. No person shall be convicted of an offense under this section if the police officer did not comply with subsection (c) hereof or if it appears at a trial that the explanation given by the person, if believed by the police officer at the time, would have dispelled the alarm.
(Ord. 411. Passed 8-21-85.)