The city of Arnold is cracking down on people trying to find unlocked vehicles to break into or steal.
City Council members voted unanimously Dec. 16 to approve a “vehicle prowling” ordinance that makes it a municipal offense for someone to pull door handles on multiple vehicles that do not belong to them.
The ordinance also makes it illegal for someone to get inside a vehicle that does not belong to them without the owner’s consent.
However, the ordinance does not apply to police officers, public safety officers or public employees who may need to check multiple door handles while performing their official duties.
Arnold Police Chief Bob Shockey said the ordinance was designed to reduce the number of thefts from vehicles, as well as the theft of vehicles themselves.
“This will give us more teeth to try to curtail this ongoing problem that we are seeing not just in Arnold but the county and the entire St. Louis region,” he said.
Arnold Police reported that as of Dec. 17 there had been 75 vehicle thefts this year. In 2020, there were 91 vehicle thefts, and in 2019, there were 68.
Shockey said it is common for potential thieves to go through neighborhoods and parking lots looking for unlocked vehicles to steal or to steal from.
“Nine times out of 10, (suspected thieves) are looking for open doors,” Shockey said. “The main thing is to keep doors locked. It goes for at home and when you are out shopping or at gas stations.”
Arnold Community Development Director David Bookless said he proposed putting the vehicle-door-handle rule in place after St. Louis County Council members Tim Fitch (R-District 3) and Mark Harder (R-District 7) proposed implementing it during a Nov. 16 meeting.
“I downloaded St. Louis County’s ordinance and shared it with the chief,” Bookless said. “He thought it was a good thing. I shared it with the city attorney, who also thought it was a good thing.”
The Arnold ordinance mirrors the wording that was proposed in St. Louis County, Bookless said.
The cities of Eureka and Ellisville also have rules in place to curb the practice of “vehicle prowling.”
Ellisville’s ordinance is identical to the one passed in Arnold.
In Eureka, the Board of Aldermen approved making it illegal to lift door handles on vehicles that do not belong to you and to enter a vehicle without the owner’s permission.
However, if a vehicle is parked on private property, the owner of the property may legally open the vehicle or get into it without the owner’s permission, according to Eureka’s ordinance.
City Administrator Bryan Richison said those arrested for lifting multiple door handles may be fined up to $500 and possibly held in jail for up to three days.
“It is a municipal offense,” he said. “This is not a state law. It is an ordinance violation.”
Shockey said while the penalty may not stop people from trying to get into unlocked vehicles, the new rule will be a useful tool for Arnold Police.
“It helps a lot because a lot of times in these situations we have video, but we don’t have a name of someone trying to get into unlocked cars,” Shockey said. “Now, if we arrest someone in the act of trying to get into unlocked cars, we will get their information and picture, and we may be able to identify them if they are seen in video surveillance trying to get into unlocked vehicles.”
Even though the new rule is aimed at curbing vehicle thefts and thefts from vehicles, Shockey said people can take steps to protect themselves by locking their doors and not keeping valuables in their vehicles.
“The main thing is to keep doors locked,” he said.
“If you do keep valuables in your car, make sure they are out of sight and your doors are locked. It also is important to remember if someone gets into your unlocked car, they may be able to get a garage door opener and then have access to your home.”