ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is moving its Downtown District Bike Unit into a high-profile location in the historic Globe Building.

Located at the corner of Tucker Boulevard and Convention Plaza, police believe the new bike patrol headquarters will bring increased visibility and a stronger law enforcement presence to a busy part of the city.

“It has state-of-the-art equipment; it’s in a prime location for out downtown area, one that allows them to be able to deploy to any incident in a faster manner, as well as a very important and critical part of their workday, the station they operate from,” Kelli McCaray, executive director of the Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District, said.

The 4,000 square-foot facility replaces a much smaller space, doubling its size, and is part of a larger effort to increase police visibility and community engagement downtown.

“This area allows the officers to move more effectively and capably throughout downtown,” McCaray said.

Some residents are excited about the move and say it sends a clear message: visibility matters.

“I think it’s a real good thing, because all of the police visibility that we see in a city like St. Louis. It’s a good thing because in the later years, seems like there has been lack of that,” resident Al Greer said.

The bike unit’s former location had limited visibility and no dedicated parking. This new site changes that.

“Once people are used to seeing police visible, they are less likely to pursue any act that they shouldn’t be,” Greer said.

The project was made possible through a public-private partnership. The Globe Building funded construction and is leasing the space to the SLMPD and Downtown Community Improvement District rent-free for 10 years.