Police report: July calls steady; speed complaints and shoplifting enforcement highlighted

Captain Pliviak, speaking for the Fenton Police Department, told the Board of Aldermen on Aug. 28 that officers responded to 726 calls for service in July and handled nearly 1,320 self‑initiated assignments. The department reported 32 arrests and said law‑enforcement activity was concentrated around business corridors and Gravois Bluffs. Pliviak said the department deployed a radar trailer to River Hills Drive and a stealth speed camera on Water Street after a citizen complaint. “The average speed was 26,” Pliviak said of the Water Street deployment, noting a recorded top speed of about 42–43 mph in a posted 20 mph zone. The department said about 85% of recorded vehicles exceeded the posted limit on that stretch. The report said shoplifting and larceny incidents at Walmart accounted for a substantial share of arrests; Pliviak explained that NIBRS reporting rules can classify repeat entries after trespass notices as burglaries. He told the board, “I don’t want you to get alarmed. We don’t have five houses that have been burglarized,” and clarified that the burglary entries in the report reflected retail trespass and repeat shoplifting incidents rather than residential break‑ins. Board members discussed the 85th‑percentile speed statistic and emphasized the board’s authority to set local speed limits; aldermen noted the narrow, park‑adjacent nature of Water Street and requested continued enforcement as school resumes. Councilmembers also credited extra patrols for dispersing recent pop‑up car‑show gatherings and said officers would monitor planned events. What was not changed: No change in posted speed limits was proposed during the meeting. The department indicated it will continue targeted radar enforcement and staffing adjustments to address the localized speed and crowding concerns.