City to Require Parking Lot Attendants

New requirements and increased enforcement are part of initiative to reduce Downtown car break-ins.

June 29, 2011 | 2 min reading time

This article is 13 years old. It was published on June 29, 2011.

ST. LOUIS—The St. Louis Building Division is going to issue a regulation requiring parking lots to provide attendants, Mayor Slay announced today. It is part of a broader initiative to prevent car clouting Downtown.


“I am angry and frustrated about what happened Friday night,” said Mayor Francis Slay. “It easily could have been prevented.”

Dozens of car windows were smashed and items stolen at several downtown parking lots on Friday night. Police report there were no attendants on duty in several of the lots to call the police to report the crimes. “After meeting with us, the owner of one of the lots volunteered to provide an attendant in a vehicle with a light going during all Cardinals games,” said Captain Kenneth Kegel of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. “That is a good step forward but we need more lot owners to follow the lead.”

Slay met this morning with the 4th District police, the Problem Properties Unit, the City Counselor’s Office, and the Department of Public Safety. To reduce car break-ins and to give the Police Department a better chance of catching car clouters, the City is going to do the following:

  • This week, the City Counselor is drafting a rule to be issued next week by the Building Commissioner to require parking lots to provide attendants. The rule will become effective 30 days after it is issued.
  • The rule will also require parking lots to be restricted when they are not in operation.
  • The 4th District and Problem Properties Unit will also meet with parking lot attendants and employees to train them on how to spot and report potential trouble.
  • The Problem Properties Team will meet with the individual owners of 100 parking lots to address specific nuisance issues on their properties.  


Failure to follow the new rules could result in the City shutting down a parking lot.
 
“People can also help themselves,” Slay said. “Don’t leave anything valuable in sight. If you see something suspicious, call the police.”


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