HAMMOND, Ind. — An ordinance requiring all gas stations in the city of Hammond to close overnight went into effect Wednesday.
As of Nov. 1, all 37 gas stations in the city must close from midnight to 5 a.m. following a 7-2 council member vote in August to pass the regulation.
The ordinance was drafted in response to a series of crime-related events at Hammond-area gas stations. Hammond Mayor Thomas M. McDermott Jr. backed the proposal.
Notably, a Chicago man was shot and killed at Luke’s gas station in the 5100 block of State Line Avenue in late June. The next month, a man was critically wounded at the Speedway gas station in the 6800 block of Calumet Avenue, days after Hammond council members delayed voting on the ordinance.
Ultimately, City Hall members favored the ordinance amid a council meeting on Aug. 14.
Some business owners stressed to WGN News that the ordinance could cost people their jobs, while others felt the move was needed to reduce overnight crime in the city.
The ordinance does allow any gas station to petition for an exception to the midnight to 5 a.m. closure rule. Still, gas station owners would be subjected to a separate citation each day their business violates the order.
Extracted in full from: https://wgntv.com/northwest-indiana/hammond-ordinance-that-closes-all-gas-stations-overnight-now-in-effect/
