ST. LOUIS – Ahead of Mother’s Day weekend, there will be a heavy police presence in downtown St. Louis due to violence and large, unruly crowds.
Bi-State Development, which owns the Gateway Arch Riverboats that sail along the riverfront, will be adding extra security measures to try and deter crime.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will add extra officers across the city after roughly 15 shootings and no arrests over the weekend, where five people died and 18 were injured. The department took 639 911 calls.
FOX 2 obtained video of people openly carrying what appear to be assault-style rifles Monday in downtown St. Louis. Passengers on a Gateway Arch Riverboat Cruise were stranded on the boat Saturday night as large crowds blocked Lenore K. Sullivan Boulevard and people fired guns. Visitors said more security is good news.
“We can’t be bound by fear. Security is needed and warranted. It’s good for the city,” said Mary Greenwell, a visitor.
Bi-State will start operating the gating system Friday night on the riverfront to limit levee access to employees and customers with cruise reservations.
“We are concerned about the recent increase in crime and violence occurring in our city and are working closely with our partners at the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the National Park Service. During the normal summer season, we invest in extra security patrols for the riverboats,” said a spokesperson for Bi-State.
“With all the problems they had in this country lately, they don’t have enough security, it’s great,” said Sylvester Hasen, a visitor.
The St. Louis Port Authority passed a resolution to apply for a $300,000 federal security grant to buy security cameras. If they get the money, the cameras will go up all along Lenore K. Sullivan and the St. Louis riverfront under the Arch.
