A digital rendering shows how the exterior of the Globe Building could look when the 果酱视频 Metropolitan Police Department relocates its downtown bike unit to the historic building on Tucker Boulevard. The new substation is expected to open in September 2024.
ST. LOUIS 鈥 A new police substation is set to open near a troubled downtown gas station, part of a move to increase the department鈥檚 visibility downtown, officials announced Tuesday.
The 果酱视频 Metropolitan Police Department is relocating its bike unit from North 13th Street and Lucas Avenue to the Globe Building, at Tucker Boulevard and Convention Plaza. The new substation is expected to open in September.
鈥淭his is an exciting opportunity for SLMPD to have a more visible space, adding a state of the art substation within the core of downtown,鈥 Kelli McCrary, executive director of the Downtown Community Improvement District, said in a statement.
The owners of the Globe Building are donating the space for 10 years and paying for the build out.
Downtown crime has been a focus of city and business officials for years. The pandemic led to empty streets, reckless driving, and a boost in lawlessness. But officials and residents have moved recently to beef up patrols, bolster downtown activity and even close down troubled businesses.
Former 果酱视频 Alderman James Page and nearby property owners filed suit, for instance, alleging the Shell gas station on North Tucker was a magnet for criminal activity, with at least 21 shootings there over the last four years. Residents sued the business, too, alleging gas stations weren鈥檛 allowed downtown. It鈥檚 now set to close by Aug. 1.
鈥淲e need more officers and more visible officers,鈥 said Matt O鈥橪eary, one of the residents in the suit.
O鈥橪eary said the bike unit needs the new space 鈥 it鈥檚 small and has no parking for officers, he said.
鈥淭his is the facility they deserve and that the Globe Building was willing to provide,鈥 O鈥橪eary said.
The new substation will occupy over 4,000 square feet.
It will have its street-facing exteriors clad in stainless steel, with prominently displayed SLMPD branding to create maximum visibility and deter crime, officials said.
鈥淧ublic private partnerships like this one between the Globe Building, the Downtown CID, and SLMPD, where the private sector aggressively participates in security solutions,鈥 said police Maj. Edward Benoist, 鈥渁re an important part of a larger plan to address the perception and reality of downtown safety.鈥
View life in 果酱视频 through the Post-Dispatch photographers' lenses. Edited by Jenna Jones.
The charges against Page could be a litmus test for a charge that has, until now, mostly been used by state ethics authorities to issue civil fines.聽
A digital rendering shows how the exterior of the Globe Building could look when the 果酱视频 Metropolitan Police Department relocates its downtown bike unit to the historic building on Tucker Boulevard. The new substation is expected to open in September 2024.
