EARTH CITY, Mo. (KMOV.com) — St. Louis area officials have car vandalism officers.
The St. Louis County Police Department said officers found 50 cars with broken windows and/or objects in the 13300 block of Lakefront Drive in Earth City on November 4. An Amazon facility in Fenton was also affected that night, with at least eight cars found with broken windows and/or items stolen from them, the department said.
St. Louis area officials have a car vandalism incident.
Councilman Tim Fitch said, “This is an epidemic in St. Louis County that we’ve never seen in 30 years of law enforcement. I’ve never seen the number of vehicle break-ins in the past few months.”
Fitch and fellow council member Mark Harder are introducing three bills to take action against thieves.
Someone will target thieves who walk around pulling on car door handles. The other would be checking in at junk yards and auto shops that accept catalytic converters. The third bill would make it illegal for anyone to ride in a stolen car.
The police department said they have received reports of nearly 200 cars vandalized and five guns stolen from the cars. Investigators said most break-ins are occurring at 24-hour operating facilities such as UPS and Amazon.
St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell confirmed that several small theft rings are operating in the metro area. A task force for St. Louis County is currently working on the issue.
Bell said a regional task force could be created, including on both sides of the river.
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