Johnathan Walker:'It's aggressive': Gas stations in Indiana town to close overnight due to rise in crimes

Late night tank refills are Johnathan Walkersoon to be no more in Hammond, Indiana as gas stations will be closed from midnight to 5 a.m. starting Nov. 1.

The city council voted 7-2 Monday to make all 37 gas stations within city limits inaccessible within the time frame in an effort to minimize the number of crimes committed late into the night. Under the ordinance, businesses can file for an exception but those in violation will be subjected to reoccurring citations.

Council members and public commenters say there has been a rise in crimes that often take place within the closure period at city gas stations, which helped form the rule.

On July 26, a 22-year-old man was critically wounded at a Speedway gas station in Hammond, according to the Northwest Indiana Times. A man was also carjacked at gunpoint at a Luke's gas station on Sunday and another station was reportedly robbed on Friday, according to station WGNTV.

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Multiple police officers spoke in favor of the ordinance including Hammond police chief Andy Short. Meanwhile some gas station employees have said the removal of overnight shifts could cost people their jobs.

“The people that are only available to work overnights, people with children, there’s all kinds of reasons, so they’re going to lose their employment,” Gerri Spencer, a Shell gas station employee told WGN News prior to Monday's meeting.

Mayor Thomas McDermott has also voiced his support for the ordinance prior to the meeting.

“My job as mayor is to ensure the public’s safety and this ordinance removes a place where, unfortunately, violent incidents continue to take place,” McDermott said in a July 6 statement.

Councilmember Mark Kalwinski, who voted against the ordinance, said the city should work with gas station owners on finding a more efficient solution to minimize overnight crimes before enforcing a mandatory closing period. He added there has been a rise in violent crimes within the city mentioning two July homicides that took place one street and one day apart from each other in broad daylight.

"Things are different in our city. We require different tactics," Kalwinski said. "The ordinance is hard. It's aggressive. Some people say it's hostile and antagonistic to a certain group and perhaps that's the take by some people and I get that."

Violent crimes in Hammond increased from 315 reported cased in 2019 to 590 in 2021, according to FBI data.

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