Osage Beach ordinance allows police to ticket on private property

Osage Beach police could be able to start ticketing on private property if a new ordinance passes later this month. Police Chief Todd Davis, of the Osage Beach Police Department, says right now there is little police can do if laws are violated on private property.

The ordinance would expand police jurisdiction to private properties that are open to the public, including, for example, parking lots. Davis says this would solve a lot of problems that police officers face when dealing with calls that come from public areas that are on private property.

Adding a police presence to parking lots is one of the main reasons for this ordinance. “We’re not going to be sitting on parking lots looking for people… that are running stop signs or failing to yield or anything like that,” Davis says. “It’s if we respond to an accident… (the ordinance) gives us a tool to address that situation with.”

One member of the Osage Beach Board of Alderman believes giving police jurisdiction over any private property is a slippery slope.

The ordinance was first read and passed on June 29, and will be read again on July 20 at 6 p.m. Citizens are welcome to voice their thoughts at the second reading.