Hammond hearing requests for gas station ordinance exemptions
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Nearly half of the gas stations in the city of Hammond have petitioned for an exemption to an ordinance requiring all gas stations to close overnight beginning next month.
The ordinance was approved by the Hammond Common Council in August as a means to curb crime in the city. It was introduced after a 2 a.m. homicide at a gas station in June.
Since the ordinance was enacted, 14 gas stations have requested exemptions, and eight of those requests have been heard. The city’s Board of Public Works & Safety said Friday it aims to hear all requests before the ordinance goes into effect on Nov. 1.
The city said the hearings look into the amount of police calls to each gas station over the last 24 months, as well as examining the cameras and security at each station. Other factors such as lighting, zoning and code violations, business licensing, the proximity of the stations to the interstate to serve travelers, and other safety concerns are being evaluated.
“On the city’s behalf we are trying to paint a full picture to the board of each station to see where the problems are and where they aren’t,” Kevin Smith, corporation counsel for the city of Hammond, said in a news release. “It gives the board the ability to hear from the owners and the city.”
Among the items being considered for an exemption is a station’s participation in the city’s Fusus platform, which allows police officers to view security cameras at a station in real time when a crime or issue is reported.
“Before we passed this ordinance and had the exception hearings, many of these stations weren’t on FUSUS, didn’t have sufficient camera systems, and had zoning and ordinance violations that weren’t being corrected,” Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott said. “This process is bringing them into compliance and in the process making both the city and the gas stations safer.”
Today, three gas stations have received exemptions from the ordinance. They are the Shell station at 3350 Calumet Avenue, the GoLo station at 7305 Kennedy Avenue, and the Sav-A-Stop station at 7452 Indianapolis Boulevard.
Several other stations are awaiting rulings from the board, and one station withdrew its request due to a prior agreement with the city to be closed overnight.