How Can I Prevent The Homeless From Camping In ATM Vestibules?

I worked with two major banks previously on this.

Basic solution:

• Video analytics to detect loitering
• Remote monitoring to review/verify alarms
• Loud siren/strobe connected to relay output, triggered by remote operator
• Police dispatch if above did not work

The monitoring was done by personnel at the bank's SOC, so monitoring costs were not directly measurable, but overall were relatively low workload.

Maybe an annoying beeper that sounds 5 minutes after the last ATM transaction concludes and is triggered by a motion detector that detects motion in the vestibule. It can't be silenced until a bank customer accesses the ATM, starting another cycle. (Hmmmm?.....patent pending!)

One client solved an issue of homeless people sleeping in their doorway entrances using a switch mat (such as made by Tapeswitch) connected to a timer and an electronic siren. The timer was set to require a continuous activation of the mat for ~5 minutes before the siren would sound. Typically, the homeless person would get their bedroll spread out and lay down for a minute or two before the siren activated, scaring them to death. It didn't take long before the homeless population learned not to camp in this particular doorway.

At the bank I use, all the ATMs are behind a badge access door, where the badge is your bank card.

Are the vestibules in this discussion not protected by something similar?

How are they gaining access if they are?

Since IPVM is venturing into security/integration I'll offer advice from that side of the isle. 

About in 2007 there were few robberies in the atm vestibule. Bank installed "bank card reader" outside the door with auto door lock.

Programing was done as such... incert bank card and door unlocks....

with motion sensor...it would deactivate outside card reader....(only one person/group at a time)

next customer was not able to gain access until vestibule was clear.

Not sure if this was coincidence or this worked to spook off would be robbers... but no more robberies.

....to sumerize outside bank card access. No card no access.

Also, to further add to my suggestion of an annoying beep or sound, motion activated 5 minutes after the last ATM transaction concludes, instead of a beeping noise, the sound could be a digital announcement on a loop that says something like, "This area is for ATM use only, no loitering or camping is permitted."  Once the ATM customer uses their card to access the kiosk or vestibule or ATM, the announcement stops.  Then after 5 minutes, should there be motion detected, the announcement starts continuously until the next ATM customer.

This may discourage homeless people from camping there as it might be too annoying.

Do expand on basic structure of limited acces... "vagrant would have to have credit card or atm card" to gain access. 

You can definitely employ siren after extended period of time to kick someone out.

The reason  "to restrict access" was for security... in your case it would stop homeless gaining access and even vandalizing place.

I'm looking back through files for the scan technology we integrated into creit card check.

Use a voice annunicator that gradually gets louder. Opening the door says something like: "Welcome to xyz bank. Its our pleasure to serve our customers. Did you know that our bank gives free checking and ...." . Idea here is to use a greeting with an advert of some kind like a gas pump monitor (matter of fact there is even a service that does this).   Advance the volume a little at a time as long as the guy is still in the ATM. Reset when the door opens.  

My concern about the siren is that it's much like a shotgun burglar alarm; or the guy that wired a 120VAC death trap that killed the bad guy. In both of those cases, the burglar's family won the case. Now i don't think the siren is the same thing, but if you get a homeless guy with a bad heart that croaks because of a 110 db siren who knows... There are also particular sounds and tempos that are particularly uncomfortable.  At what that guard is costing, there is a lot of stuff that can be done. 

Make sure to tell us what you ended up doing 

Is there a way that the ATM terminal itself could provide a contact closure that it is actually in use by a patron?

That would give the security system the information it needs to correctly recognize and prevent a false vagrant alarm.

Try classical music.  We have several clients with foyers where homeless were camping out nightly.  These locations are in a downtown area with restaurants and other businesses, apartments & condos nearby so a siren or buzzer wasn't going to be a good option.  We decided to try something different.  We installed a speaker hooked to an MP3 player loaded with classical music.  Not sure why but it has worked well.   We've had these installed for a couple years now and each of the clients has reported a significant drop in people camping out.  Go figure.

I recommended this once for a viaduct at a college. While I did not follow up on whether or not it worked, that tells you the concept has been around for years (many years). Greg, was there one volume that worked better than others?

The volume we set was pretty much at a normal/comfortable level. 

There haven't been any complaints from surrounding tenants.