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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommuter Rail Committee-Agenda Packets-10/13/2008GiC~, o#• r 11 ~C Ii i3 `' PUBLIC NOTICE COMMUTER RAIL COMMITTEE Monday, October 13, 2008 7:00 P.M. Colleyville Center, 5301 Riverwalk Drive The agenda for this meeting will be as follows: 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of Minutes: September 25, 2008 3. Presentation by Fred Mills, Acting Chairperson 4. Discussion of Planned Presentation 5. Citizen Comment 6. Adjournment 1 certity that this notice was posted on the City Hall Bulletin Board on Thursday, October 9, 2008, by 5:00 pm. Joyceinne Williams Office Assistant COMMUTER RAIL COMMITTEE MINUTES September 25, 2008 1. Call to Order Chairman John Gooding called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. Present: John Gooding, Paul Vigiletti, Kristen O. Regan, Mike Muhm, James Day, Keath Hance, John Paul Burnett, Clif Davis Absent: Fred Mills, Linda Baker, Joyce Hammill, John Leeper, Bart Butler, Urmesh Shah, David Grimes, Roger Nelson, Rich Hendler Staff: Mike Johnston, Joyceinne Williams Citizens: Beverly Sonneborn, Natalie Genco, Louise Rosenfeld 2. Approval of Minutes: September 8, 2008 John Gooding made a motion to approve the September 8, 2008 minutes. Keath Hance seconded the motion, the motion carried. Presentation Chad Edwards, North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), gave a power point presentation regarding the rail. Following the presentation, Mr. Edwards answered questions of the committee. The presentation emphasized information on present and future (Year 2030) comparison statistics involving population growth, regional impact on roadways and planning of future means for transportation. Questions concerning the proposed rail stop location and the amount of land allocated for parking spaces were discussed. The NCTCOG presentation is on the website for viewing at www. nctcog. orq/trans 3. Committee Discussion • The committee's next steps were discussed. John Paul Burnett and Clif Davis discussed concern of having concise information for the presentation to the City Council and other organizations by the scheduled completion date. • Mike Johnston stated that the committee needs to write down the pros and cons and work from the list to establish a plan to be presented to the different organizations and citizen groups. • Chairman John Gooding will prepare a draft presentation for review at the next meeting. All committee members were asked to provide 4 to 5 questions to be presented at the next meeting. 4. Citizen Comments There were two comments presented: Natalie Genco -Concerned about safety of the rail stop in Colleyville. She indicated an incident in St. Louis where a family was getting off of the rail system and was robbed. She ask the committee to google "metrolink" to read on some of the safety problems that St. Louis and other areas are having. Louise Rosenfeld - "When rail committee is designing a presentation to citizens, civic groups, etc., I'm concerned that the cost and effectiveness of RAIL will get lost in the favorable PR put out for "All Transit" factors." 5. Adjournment There being no further business, Chairman Gooding adjourned the meeting at 9:15 p.m. Minutes taken and prepared by Joyceinne Williams COLLEYVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT INFORMATIONAL MEMO TO: Mike Johnston FROM: Lt. Doug Cooper~~ ~~ DATE: 9-26-08 REF: Metrolink Crime Article I did some limited research collecting information on the crime article you forwarded to me. The article you sent was from a blog site and describes an assault that took place near a St. Louis Metrolink light rail station. I found articles from St. Louis Today newspaper that described the assault occurring in late July 2008 and involving a large group of about 20 teens that assaulted a family leaving the Forrest Park Metrolink rail station. It said two victims were briefly hospitalized. Several suspects were apprehended by police on the platform of the station. The newspaper articles covered some incidents involving groups of teens riding the rail system committing assaults and shoplifting. It stated that these problems have developed recently, as much of the rail system was put in ten years ago. Metrolink security officials state that serious crime is rare and that crime spreading from the inner city areas to suburban areas has not happened. The newspaper states security efforts have been increased since the recent attacks and Metrolink officials point to low statistics as proof that the system is safe. There were also other news articles that described an increase in shoplifting at shopping centers due do an increase in the numbers of teens that have been using the rail system. I looked at crime data from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department comparing crime by neighborhood (see attached). It compares crime among individual neighborhoods in the city. The neighborhoods of DeBaliviere Place and Forrest Park are closest to the Rail station where the assault took place. The crime rates for violent crime and auto theft in these two neighborhoods is substantially lower than the crime rates of most other neighborhoods in the City of St. Louis. I think it is important to consider that St. Louis has one of the highest crime rates of any city in the nation and is far above the national average. The problems and crime rates in areas around Colleyville are not comparable to the problems and crime rates in St. Louis. I have included copies of the information collected. Page 1 of 2 Doug Cooper From: Michael Johnston Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 16:00 To: Doug Cooper Cc: Tommy Ingram Subject: FW: Metrolink Crime Articles Doug, Please take a few minutes to research this incident that Mrs. Genco cites. I hate to bother you with this, but it would be nice to learn more about why/what happened, rather than just taking this as being "indirectly caused by the rail station." I know that you have already relayed statistics to the committee that refute this sort of sensationalism, but now, a few people on the committee feel like they're getting conflicting information. Thanks, Mike Johnston Interim Assistant City Manager 100 Main Street Colleyville, TX 76034 817-503-1115 direct 817-503-1129 fax From: John Gooding Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 10:59 AM To: Michael Johnston; Subject: Fwd: Metrolink Crime Articles Natalie -thanks for your input on this subject. Mike -please include this in our commuter rail file. Thanks Again John Gooding ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Natalie Genco Date: Wed, Sep 24, 2008 at 3:40 PM Subject: Metrolink Crime Articles I spoke briefly at the rail committee meeting on Monday regarding my concern about crime on the rail system. The attached tells a family member's recount of the beating their family of 5 received after getting off at a train stop near their home, and has some discussion regarding crime on St. Louis's rail system. Warning: There is vulgar language in the discussion following the story. 9/26/2008 Dear Rail Committee Members, Page 2 of 2 The gangs are riding the trains and then terrorizing formerly safe neighborhoods. http_//zombiehunters.org/fo_rum/viewto~ic_php?~22&t __ 325.93&st=0&sk=t&sd_=a. I will send links to the other articles I referenced as I find them. 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St. Louis Crime Statistics (MO) - CityRating.com St. Louis Crime Report General Information: Page 1 of 2 City Guides I School Rankings I City Search I Cost of Living I Crime Statistics Occupational Outlook j Weather History !Relocation & Financial Resources State: Missouri (MO) City Population: 340,256 Murder: 73 Forcible Rape: 75 Robbery: 2,303 Aggravated Assault: 3,874 Burglary: 5,889 Larceny or Theft: 23,747 Car Theft: 10,674 Arson: 470 Data Source: 2003 FBI Report of Offenses Known to Law Enforcement Violent vs. Property Crime Rate: Violent Crime Property Crime Back to the Home page Type in the name of the city you wish to find more information about: Go ~~~ Careers in CSI Study Crime Scene Investigation 100% Online -Get Free Info Now! www. KaplanDegrees-Onli ne. com Crime Inve_s_tigation Leam to Analyze Crime Scenes Search from 1000's of Top Programs! GuideToCareerEd ucation.coMC~ Zero values may indicate the data was not available. 6,325 40,310 Crime News St. Louis Violent Crime Rate per Capita: PhOtOS, articles and Murder Forcible Rape Robbery A9garavated All Violent Crime interviews Complete Assault news online National Local National Local National Local National Local National Local examiner.com ,' H~; A- ~ ~~'' 5 ~ ~~ Is 2.80 times the Is 0.61 times the National Average National Average St. Louis Property Crime Rate per Capita: Burglary Larceny or Theft National Local National Local ~. ~ ~f ; Reconstruct Crime Scenes Easy Crime Scene ;~ s .~ ;, ~„'' Reconstructions See 'X ~ ~ a~'.~ ~' ~' x r.' i' ~ i. t * ` ~ 9 ~ ~ ~ { i '' ~ Exam les. T It Free! P ry www.SmartDraw.com ~ Is 3.09 times the Is 3.14 times the Is 3.11 times the National Average National Average National Average Car Theft Arson All Property Crime National Local National Local National Local Crime Statistics Search multiple engines at once for crime statistics www.webcrawler.com httpa/www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=St.+Louis&state=MO 9/26/2008 St. Louis Crime Statistics (MO) - CityRating.com St. Louis Information Links: View Weather History Questions? Comments? E-mail: info@cityrating.com View Weather Forecast More Cities Copyright ©2002 CityRating.com. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement ~ Disclaimer ~ Home Page 2 of 2 http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=St.+Louis&state=MO 9/26/2008 STLtoday -Crime, race and light rail Page 1 of 3 61°F Fog/Mist ~~t~ Forecast sporrsaed br' -'-"-T--'" ~ a..r.....c..a log In I Subscriber Services I Place an Ad Web Search powered by YAHOOI SEARCH site ' News Business Sports Entertainment life & Style Multimedia Interact Jobs Rides Homes Marketplace Home - News - Editorial /Commentary - Story Emal Chis Share this Print IhiS Comments (26) Crime, race and light rail 08/2812008 Metro President Bob Baer says that keeping the public safe from crime on the MetroLink line "isti t just a priority, it is the priority." "We'll spend ~ to million this year. We will spend more if +ve have to, and make cuts in other areas to find the money. The public will see an increased security presence. It ++'ill see stricter fare enforcement. Nothing is more important," he said. Metro is responding to back-to-back incidents that occurred one night in late July ,~" A group of teens and 2o-somethings assaulted and robbed three teenagers at the Delmar ` station. Then, about r5 minutes later, the same group is believed to be responsible for attacking and robbing a family that was walking home from MetroLink's Forest Park station after riding the train from Lambert-St. Louis airport. Internet Explorer cannot.~y~o,~~tlmti++e>ebr~etl};ho~~italize~d.One required surgery- for a fractured eye socket. Most likely causes: . You are not connected to Mr. Baer and Metro have been extremely . The website is encounter aggressive in the aftermath of the July ?6 . There might be a typing incidents, in part becau_tie they understand they are up against something much bigger What you can try: w Diagnose Connection Probl In November, St Louis County voters will vote on a half-cent sales tax increase for Metro; its passage is crucial to the regional transit system. The question is whether what happened on July z6 will affect the voting and possibly undermine the region's huge investment in public transit. Irrational fear of crime, sometimes expressed in barely coded racial terms, long has plagued transit s}stcros across the nation. Usually it occurs +vhen s}°stems seek to expand from inner cities to suburban areas. ~. St. Louis is no exception. From its early planning stages forward, the rap on MetroLink ryas that routes originating in East SL Louis and passing through city neighborhoods were sure to become conduits of crime and disorder, transporting problems to stable communities. ~,: `° That has not happened. MetroLinl: security has not been perfect But, by any reasonable measure, the s}-stem is safe. yesterday's most emailed I. McCain proposal would destroy employer-based health system 2. Church encourages texting during sermons 3. Linehan is acting like a man who's losing more than games 4. OK, jury, you decide the Case of the Wrong Dress 5. History may well smile on George W. Bush 6. Wanna buy an Elvis museum? 7. No hill for a stepper 8. Hornbeck recounts captivity in interview 9. Volunteers help shop clean up after Flooding 10. Oops! Ofricials won't use homeWnd security money for debate ST.LOUIS POST DISPATCH y~.Hoo~ hbtjobs• LOCOMOTIVE DRIVERS ENGINEERS TRADES PEOPLE Saint Louis, MO Australian Railroad Group MEDICAL ASSISTANT Saint Peters, MO Exceptional Healthcare MAINTENANCE Saint Charles, MO Roto-Rooter PORTERS Ballwin, MO Suntrup West County Volvo-Saab MARKETING ASSISTANT Maryland Heights, MO Chemir Analydcs SUBSTANCE ABUSE CLINICAL MANAGER East Saint Louis, IL Community Education Centers BUSINESS ANALYST /REPORT DEVELOPER Saint Louis, MO Suddenlink Communications CNA Saint Louis, MO Dutchtown Care Center FRONT DESK PERSON Saint Louis, MO St Louis Orthopedic DRIVERS Saint Louis, MO TMC More )obs new start career training http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/editorialcommentary/story/B007D33 DB... 9/26/2008 Home I Find 7t in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch I Suburban )oumals 15[. Louis Best Bridal I Ladue News STLtoday -Crime, race and light rail Page 2 of 3 ,~ ~ t1E1r~J5'~''; Serious crime is rare. According to agency data, there were a total of t4 robberies and 24 "'°V~"'a^'"~'w""''°^~°Y`""`e'°°' assaults at the system's 26 Missouri stations during 200'7 - out of >9 million passenger ~ ! sRlus. tErsleAnt ~[ulE~a. hoardings that year. The figures are consistent with national research that shows transit F Dead end job? Search here for the training you stations are as safe as or safer than the neighborhoods in which then re located. ~ 3"., need to revive your career today! Fears about liI ail becoming carriers of choue for a criminal element also a,~~ear to be unfounded. ~~ ~ "~ A large scale study published in 2002 by the University of California Transit Center examined. transit-related. crime on Los Angeles' Green Line. It tracked conditions for the five years before and the five years after the line's extension through inner-city neighborhoods to "affluent suburban communities." The study posed these questions: "Does a mass transit system that passes through crime-ridden inner city areas help transport crime to the suburbs? Is such a line expanding the range of action of potential criminals by facilitating their 'journeys to crime'?" The answers were "no" and "no": "The transit line has not had significant impacts on crime trends or crime dislocation in the station neighborhoods and has not transported crime from the inner-city to the suburbs." There is no evidence that the perpetrators of the .July 26 incidents or other troublemakers are using MetroLink as their staging ground or means of transit - despite an irresponsible "expose" in a local alternative newspaper. On the tlimsiest of evidence, the report suggested that thugs and shoplifters are riding MetroLink to the Delmar Loop and the Galleria, giving credence to thinly concealed racist sentiments. Metro's $>o million security budget is no small item. The annual budget for the entire St. Louis County Police Department is about $85 million. But the transit agency s significant spending on securit}- needs to he matched by the public's rejection of anxiety and cynicism about race and crime. Write a letter to the editor j Subscribe to a newsletter ~ Subscribe to the newspaper reader comments COMMENTING RiTLES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in the STLtoday community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines. Basically, be civil, smart, on-topic and free from profanity. Don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read! And remember: We may miss some, so we need your help to police these comments. Please identify the comment, the story and why you think it's objectionable. ~ Read the commenting guidelines (26) Comments CCWilson Auyust 28, 2008 7:53AM CST "MetroLink security has not been perfect. But, by any reasonable measure, the system is safe."How safe is the system? Granted, [here are some police at some stations, but most of [he "security" is an unarmed day dreamer. What will they do when an incident occurs? Radio for help.....and then the police arrive when it's too late. Metro doesn't wan[ a trained permit holder to carry a weapon to protect themselves. That's the usual thinking. Deal with the crime AFTER it's done. jk82 August 23, 200© 7:SaAM CS1 I live in the county and will not support more funding for metro until metro starts charging each and every rider. In the times I've rode the metrolink, numerous passengers around me were ticketless but no one was [here to write [hem tickets or kick them off the [rain. Also, check out this article in the riverfront times regarding metrolink and crime rates. Evidently state law Drohibits Metro from fining anyone under seventeen caught riding the train without a I select a program: !Enter ZIP Here Search http:/Iwww.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/editorialcommentary/story/B007D33DB... 9/26/2008 STLtoday -Guards' visibility reassures riders CtlntraP Missouri's ', :~s; Lake of the Ozarks '! ~~' funlake.com Home I Find it in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch I Suburban lournaK I SL Louis' Best Bridal) Ladue News 63°F Fog/MKt Forecast log In I Subscriber Servkes i PWce an Ad Web Search powered by vAH 001 SEARCH site .; News Business Sports Entertainment Life & Style Multimedia Interact Jobs Rides Homes Marketplace Home - News - St. Louis City /County - Story Email this Share this Pnnt this CornrnenLS (71) Gl THURSDAY SEPT 18 2008: A security guard with Securitas watches over the Forest Park MetroLink station Thursday. MetroLink has beefed up security at that station and others after recent high-profile attacks. (Christian Gooden(P D) By Ken Leiser ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 09/21)200& ST. LOUIS - [t's to p.m. on a recent Friday- night and the security guards at the Delmar Loop MetroLink station outnumber the passengers waiting for a train. Some of the guards are posted on the passenger platforms. Others stand watch at the statit~m's park-and-ride lot. A few ask to see passengers' tickets as they wall: down the steps from Des Peres Avenue. a. [t was a mark of Metrds effort to step up security after a pair of attacks this summer involving large, roaming groups of young people at the Delmar Loop station and the street next to the Forest Park-DeBaliviere station. The agency has since deployed its guards to better target some stations, hired more fare officers and struck a deal with the county to provide more police t~tfficers on Grains. And so tar, the moves are getting at least one intended reaction: Mane riders arc taking notice of the beefed-up security. Page 1 of 4 yesterday's most emailed 1. Church encourages texting during sermons 2. History may well smAe on George W. Bush 3. OK, jury, you decide the Case of the Wrong Dress 4. McCain proposal would destroy employer-based health system 5. Cards ace may face another surgery 6. Hard times have food pantries scrambling 7. On the good ship Rams, there is no captain, no rudder, no hope S. U. City Flood victims plead for help 9. Wanna buy an Elvis museum? 10. MOHELA is behind in making payments under plan ST.LOl11S PAST DISPATCH yAZ3oo! hotjobs• AUDITORS Saint Louis, MO Lopata Flegel & Company LLP PRODUCTION Saint Louis, MO Dairy House SECRETARY Saint Louis, MO Confidential HEALTHCARE REGIONAL MANAGER Saint Joseph, MO Girling Health Care PORTFOLIO ANALYST Saint Louis, MO Hammond Associates BRANCH MANAGER Saint Louis, MO Whatever It Takes Transmission Parts, Inc. BOOKKEEPER Saint Louis, MO Confidential INSIDE SALES Saint Charles, MO TRINITY PACKAGING POLISHER Saint Louis, MO Company Confidential DRIVERS Saint Louis, MO U. S. Express More ]obs new start career training http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/CED920569656... 9/26/2008 STLtoday -Guards' visibility reassures riders "Things have changed quite a bit since a few weeks ago," said longtime MetroLink rider Mary Love Williams, a materials handler aY Barnes-Jewish Hospital. "We're not seeing as many of the yvung people running around and drinking and smokin; and things like that." On Nov. 4, St. Louis County voters will consider a transit sales tax increase under Proposition M. Metro has been holding public hearings on deep service cuts that may kick in if the tax tails -and questions about security have surfaced at those meetings. Metro officials insist transit security has been a top priority. But they acknowledge that the .July attacks and. the subsequent news coverage came at a pivotal time for the agency. ~. ,, Still, they point to crime statistics as proof that riders have little to fear. Ray Friem, =;1 Metro's senior vice president for transit operations, said crime rates on the light-rail ; system remain lower than those in the surrounding communities. ~<' Last year, on a 46-mile system that runs every• day of the year, there were 20 assaults and. r5 robberies on trains and at stations, according to reports compiled by Metro. There were 4z reports of disturbing the peace on the Missouri half of the system in 200, and 83 reports of disorderly conduct in the Metro East. Fare inspectors and other security officials wrote more than 13,000 citations, most of them for fare,~olations. 'There's nothing to be ashamed of in those statistias," Friem said. Crime fears have played a role in past MetroLink debates. For example, when St. Charles Cvunty voters rejected a MetroLink tax proposal in 1996, some voters expressed concerns that mass transit would become a conduit for crime. Some of those concerns are still e,-ldent in the region. Safety on trains and stations is one thing, some residents sa_y, but there's also a question of whether mass transit attracts criminals or gives them easy access to surrounding neighborhoods. In one of the incidents this summer, a large group of young people attacked a family that had walked out of the Forest Park station, their luggage in tow. As the family members headed to their nearby home, they were swarmed and beaten. One suffered a fractured eye socket that required Burger}%. Grainy surveillance tapes of that attack, plus the attack at the Delmar Loop station, were broadcast on local media outlets. For its part, Metro can only control security- on its trains and stations, and it has maintained an increased presence at the Forest Parlc and Delmar Loop stations. Police in St. Lvuis and University City also have recently stepped up patrols. While riding the entire MetroLink system veer atwo-week period this month, Post- Dispatch relx~rters noticed security forces on trains and platforms and few disruptive passengerB. 'the reporters rode at various times, both duy and night, on ,,Teekdays and weekends. Page 2 of 4 f 1EUJ STAf~"E, '' '`~"'~ _ I t ~ '~ '~~~ SKIU3.6iTStt0.Mi.GF]ANfi1U_ Dead end job? Search here for the training you need to revive your career today! select a program: Enter ZIP Here Search http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/CED920569656... 9/26/2008 STLtoday -Guards' visibility reassures riders On Sept. 8, shortly before 5 pan., a lone security officer stopped a MetroLink train and removed two male youths. They refused to tell a reporter why they were kicked off the train. The security guard declined. to comment. Tom Shrout, executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit, said that when it came to safety, people ought to be more concerned about driving than riding on MetroLink. "A person is far safer on public transportation than they are in their automobile," Shrout said. ~ Well before this summer's attacks, Metro had taken steps to beef up security. In December 200, the agency hired. a new u~mpany, Florida-based. Wackenhut Corp., to take over security at stations and promised more guards would be armed as a result. But when. Wackenhut couldn't deliver enough trained guards to meet deadlines under the three-year, $t3.i million contract, Metro switched to Securitas Security Sen~ices in April. Friem said Metro had also signed a new contract with St. Louis County that will provide additional uniformed police officers on trains. While Metro officials downplayed crime concerns,lti'illiams and other riders say security improvements were needed. In addition to making riders feel more at ease, adding securih makes good business sense for a transit agency trying to broaden its appeal, she said. Williams has noticed less rowdiness on the rails since school began and since Metro started beefing up security. "During the summer days, when kids were out of school, they were riding and jumping off and on," Williams said as she waited. for her train in the Central West End this month. "Cussing. We hear that. Drunkenness? We see that. We see people fighting." Almeta Coleman of St. Louis said she, too, had seen crime at MetroLink stations, but she's comfortable with the amount of security on the system. Earlier this year, Coleman witnessed what she believed. was apurse-snatching at the Delmar Loop station. "Since then, they have two security guards," she said between trains at the Forest Park- DeBaliviere station. "They have one up there where you transfer to the buses and then they've got one on the parking lot." Elisa Crouch of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report. klciser@post-dispatch.conl ~ 314-340-8215 Write a letter to the editor I Subscribe to a newsletter I Subscribe to the newspaper reader comments COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in the STLtoday community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines. Basically, be civil, smart, on- tgpicand free from profanity. Don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read! And remember: ~h%e may miss some, so ~~~e need your help to police these comments. Please identify the comment, the story and why- you think it's objectionable. - Read the commenting ~uidalines Page 3 of 4 http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/CED920569656... 9/26/2008 Out-of-control shoplifting at the St. Louis Galleria. Violent attacks in the Delmar Loop. Is... Page 1 of 3 ,', __I l i rt1 C! eWs NEWS SLOGS RESTAURANTS CALENDAR MUSIC MOUES WITS VEST OE CLASSIFIED PROMOTIONS SEMCH /VD IiIDEx ~,-rite tit the editor ~ email a 5ieod ~ punt article ~ show comuien[~~i2 Out-of-control shoplifting at the St. Louis Galleria. Violent attacks in the Delmar Loop. Is MetroLink a vehicle for crime? By C91ad Carrsgn.. Published on August zo, zoo8 St. Peters alderman Don Aytes remembers wetl the fears some of his constituents expressed back in 1998, the year MetroLink supporters tried to bring light rail into suburban St. Charles County. - - - - "I thought for sure it would pass, Jennifer Silverberg and then someone on the >~ . i !MetroLink campaign made the ' `decision to advertise that the train ': would connect Mid Rivers Mall --• 'with East St. Louis," Aytes recalls. __ uciry cops swarm the Loop "That pretty much killed it right there. Soon you had people saying MetroLink riders would come to St. Charles by train and leave by w~ 4~~ i isf t~ car -stolen car." Subject(s): mall ~ ats, Saint Lqus Rallcria, Uelmm• Loup, -. Metr(if.,itik, ~hgpllti~tg, pare italgtiidn n c_c~rplic+(, I ethul Wcnpon, Joe I dwanly, Ithscbcrry, [Till. Ten years later and a growing number of Saint Louis Galleria and Delmar Loop merchants worry that St. Charles voters may have been right: that maybe MetroLink actually enables criminals, especially teenage lawbreakers. Ask virtually any store manager at the Saint Louis Galleria about shoplifting, and you'll invariably get two responses: One, it's out of control; and two, it's gotten exceedingly worse since August zoob, when MetroLink opened a stop just 500 yards from the high-end shopping center. In the first six months of this year, Richmond Heights police made 345 arrests at the mall. That's nearly double the number of arrests made in all of zoos, before MetroLink opened its Shrewsbury line. More alarming are the numbers of juveniles (kids under the age of seventeen) arrested at the mall. This year police are on pace to take z76 juveniles into custody for shoplifting and other offenses - a sevenfold increase over the 39 kids arrested at the Galleria in 2005. Most Popular Viewed CnmLL4ite~d. Yes+t Cbt~rmArr.s Most Popular sponsored by FOR A i W_;~_shU_S_ri_a_tc_nts_C_~nstruc,t,tS~apb<i?:. Hcrmagt, to All_im d House Thu Sep 25, q:28 PM •~ 'lltank You an(1 titre's M} llt5tre..ss: Sinclair Pulls Ad+ertis_ing From.!'ost-Disp. atch Thu Sep z5, tt:go AM ''~ Sc. Louis Nrcekend Concert Calendar: September zG_tu z$ Fri Sep 26, T•47 AM .% "rhe lotion Design :rt Crulsin' Rte.. GG Fri¢a}~,. Septcniher,z(t Thu Sep 25, 1:13 PM •i 'fsttnami Cl~sc<I Thu SeP 25.4:to PM •, 'T'he Morning_Eire+.:'C}tursday, y}5 Thu Sep z5, to:54 AM ' ~ IL's 'l'ime lo..Jarn_p_on Nre lYfir,_:_~lu 6aL.>_th~_agv_ll Thu Sep 25, 9:35 AM ^i An Injured Chris Carpenter s Humant}~. Revealed in Post-Game interview Thu SeP z5, 9:zz AM Recent Articles Related Articles Recent Articles by Chad Garrison .'' Fgreigncr's [,4u (.raulln -touring as a ?S.tl4. at4ist s+ith his ne++~ hand -answers our - -- -- - - urgent questcins, +vhile_ Old 9Tti Mgrt}~ fiammond steps out tyth agospe_L Calk soli record. •i (`.ann[rn Ftx_I¢er_'1_he m+sten~ of the S-pa_nish- gun-in Forest. Parl. •:~ Qul-of control shoplifting at the St. Louis Galh r ta. V iQ(cnl atL•tcls in the Delmar I,gctp•. Is M eted Lint: _s + chicle. for c_ri m c? Trigd Rice: L.Ut,as l'arl:_icstdents_are fed_~tp with the KcS. lan•} Rice and the homcle~c shelter he runs •i Sh~~g6ng Stars: St. louts and homegro++'t1. hggpstcrs shi~c in ShretbaLLers National Features iViiami Vcsv 7'imcs - Search , Advanced Archive Search » Riverfront Times Insiders ^ Local food, music and news blasts ^ Free Stuff Subscribe ~ E-Mail Address ~ Go J buy, sell, trade (2,0021 musician (4831 rentals (2,4001 jobs (1,836) adult entertainment (1,1651 Free Classifieds St. Louis, MO Give yaurselF - a Ray's! www.RayHills.com ~~r SERVICES General Eminence Cottages 8 Canoe Rental View Ad I View Site Heal [h & Beauty Lifestyle Center http://www. riverfronttimes. co m/2008-08-20/news/out-of-control-shoplifting-at-the-st-louts... 9/26/2008 FIND SMOOTH CRAFT BEER5 Out-of-control shoplifting at the St. Louis Galleria. Violent attacks in the Delmar Loop. Is... Page 2 of 3 "I know it's not politically correct, but how else do you explain it?" comments a frustrated Galleria store manager who, like many Galleria shopkeepers interviewed by Riverfront Times, says her employer prohibits her from officially speaking for the company. "Anyone can see all these people crossing Brentwood Boulevard from the MetroLink station," the manager continues. "Most of them aren't here to shop. They're here to hang out and cause trouble." Mall workers say it's not just shoplifting that's causing problems. In November 2006 police arrested five juveniles Packinfi a'1'unc David Packouz is an aspiring pop star and accused arms dealer. By Penn Bullock Dallas C)bserver Un-Sup...e_r Sze..M.c. One man's attempt to eat local. By Jesse Hyde Village Voiee "I'he Goomhah Nest lloar Joseph "Jce Campy" Campanella ratted out the mob--and then spurned the federal witness-proteMion program. By Sean Gardiner Houston Yress Legends ~f the,Squall Famed Galveston songwriter Rex "Wrecks" Bell has survived Hurricane Ike. By John Nova Lomax and four older teenagers following a fistfight at the Galleria that involved dozens of minors. Four months later in March, another fight in the mall -this one involving up to loo teens -led to three more arrests and the Galleria imposing new sanctions on teenagers. The so-called "Parental Guidance Required" policy, put in place in Apri12oo7, prohibits anyone under age seventeen from entering the mall after 3 p.m. on weekends without an adult chaperone. "It's not as bad as it used to be on the weekends," states another store manager. "But come here any weekday while school is in session - it looks like there's an entire high school class here for a field trip. Instead of going to school, they come to the Galleria." Now -eighteen months after the Galleria curfew first went into effect -many store owners in University City speculate the ban has resulted in pushing troublemakers six stops up the MetroLink line to the Delmar Loop. Police in University City confirm that they first noticed large groups of teens congregating in the Loop in June 2007, two months after the Galleria imposed its curfew. f'~ In recent weeks dozens of those same teens have been implicated in violent attacks that have hospitalized ~, people working and living near the light rail stations in the Loop and the nearby DeBaliviere neighborhood. Ya On July z6 a group of at least twenty teens assailed a family as they left the platform at the Forest Park- ~ DeBaliviere station. That same night another group, according to police, attacked a person at the Delmar .,~`~ ". station. ~" ~ MetroLink officials contend that the same group of teens was involved in both attacks. Moreover, the transft agency vigorously denies that the commuter train has anything to do with the assaults in the Loop or the spike ;' in shoplifting and juvenile misconduct at the Galleria. ~`, , "What we do for the Galleria is take them their employees and shoppers," stresses Metro spokeswoman Dianne Williams. "With the Loop incidents, we and our passengers were the victims. These kids aren't traveling there by Metro. They're coming by car or walking. They're not coming by Metro." Police testimony, however, tells a different story. The two seventeen-year-olds implicated in the group assault '., ~, of the family were apprehended on the MetroLink platform. The teens told police they were on their way to ~`{ their homes in Jennings and St. Louis City after spending the night hanging out near Loop restaurants and bars. Several teenagers who gather at the Galleria and in University City connect MetroLink with the rowdy behavior. "We used to hang out in the Galleria, but when MetroLink opened it got too crazy there," notes Johnnie Fields, a senior at Gateway High School who met with friends on the sidewalk of Delmar Boulevard on a recent weekend. "We started coming to the Loop last summer," says Corey Stewart Glaze, an eighteen-year-old student at CBC High School. "Then more and more people started coming. Now, it's a lot of the same people from the Galleria who hang out in the Loop. It's like you have two groups. There are people like us, and then there are the dropouts. I don't know where, or if, they go school. But they're ruining it for all of us." View Ad ~ View Site Mare > PERSONAL OF THE DAY wicked~ood "I can be quite goofy and have a tendency to make silly jokes, sometimes intellectual and sometimes just plain moronic." More Personals » NOW CLICK THIS 1 RENTstlouis Menu of Menus Restaurants 2008 Digital Jukebox St. Louis Spaces Artopia! Cocktails for a Cause! Virtual Career Fair St. Louis Home Search Kamikaze Karaoke ~3 ry . '~. laptops{noteboo ks '.. Light Pine Headboard ~, (Iron Scroll Work) Matching Bedroom ~~, Furniture ', Green Products dell inspiron notebook ~'~ More buy, sell, trade ads http://www.riverfronttimes. com/2008-08-20/news/out-of-control-shoplifting-at-the-st-Louis... 9/26/2008