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Gas drive offs may soon be illegal in O’Fallon

By Amy Armour

Drivers in O’Fallon may have to show service stations the money before picking up the pump.

With gas prices continuing to rise, the city of O’Fallon is hoping to curb the number of gas thieves with a proposed ordinance that would require fuel to be purchased in full before patrons are allowed to pump gasoline.

“If customers were required to pay for fuel before it is dispensed virtually every such theft would be prevented with minimal inconvenience to station patrons,” the proposed ordinance states.

The city is considering requiring all 20 gas stations located within city limits to collect full payment prior to dispensing gas.

The proposed ordinance was read for the first time at the June 12 O’Fallon City Council meeting. A final reading and vote is anticipated to take place at the June 26 regular meeting.

Tom Drabelle, public relations director for the city, said the idea of the ordinance came from the Police Department in response to the number of hours the department spends investigating drive offs.

In 2007, the O’Fallon Police Department responded to 392 calls related to drive offs and only 34 of the cases had identified the thief. The police spent about 143 man hours taking reports and trying to track down offenders.

“Only a handful of those cases ever get prosecuted,” Drabelle said.

O'Fallon Police Chief Gerald Schulte said an undisclosed gas station in O’Fallon has been rumored to have lost an average of $1,500 a month in drive offs.

Service stations, such as Quik Trip, offer customers the opportunity to apply for an identification card that can be swiped at the pump. Once the card is swiped, the gas station then knows the customer’s name and address. Mobil on the Run offers a Speed Pass that allows customers to simply wave the pass which is connected to a credit card account.

Schulte said the only investment service stations will have to make is extra time for people to apply for the various identification or gas cards. “This will really only effect people who pay cash,” Schulte said.

The ordinance would also punish businesses that violate the ordinance by not requiring prepayment by possibly revoking its business license.

O’Fallon is one of several cities in Missouri considering the ordinance.

“Kansas City passed (a similar ordinance) and cut their drive offs by 95 percent. Lee’s Summit also passed it and nearly eliminated the problem,” Drabelle said.

The drive-offs have also been virtually eliminated in Charlack after implementing pre-payment. Crestwood and St. Charles City are also considering a similar ordinance. If the ordinance passes in O’Fallon later this month, it would be the first of its kind in St. Charles County.