Of more than 1,000 law enforcement agencies that requested grant assistance, less than 20 percent of these agencies received grants. The Springfield Police Department will be awarded a grant over a three-year period totaling approximately $1.3 million. The city plans to hire eleven more officers to the SPD by 2017 with the grant.
Six of the officers will be assigned to the city’s north quadrant, the Center City Zone, due to the trending concerns of crime in the area.
Five of the new Missouri law enforcement officers will be assigned to an evening shift traffic unit dedicated to the following areas:
- DWI
- Hazardous motor vehicle violation enforcement
- Neighborhood traffic concerns
Police chief Paul Williams says, “Traffic consistently rates as a top concern among citizens in our biannual citizen satisfaction surveys and speeding in neighborhoods was a problem brought up at all nine Community Listen meetings,” With the help of this federal grant the Springfield Police department hopes to increase traffic enforcement, DWI enforcement, and increase the overall safety of travel for the Springfield community.
Engaging with the Community: Citizens Police Academy
The purpose of the Citizens Police Academy is to help citizens “better educate themselves about crime, and how the police deal with it.” The Academy hasn’t been offered annually, however, the Springfield Police Department hopes to make it an annual event going forward.
This 12-week course will include trips to:
- The SPD Firing Range
- The SPD headquarters
- The South District Station
- The 911 call center
The class can only hold 25 people, all of whom must pass a background check. Due to the small class size and the difficulties to communicate to mass audience, the Springfield Police Department hopes that the information citizens learn during the course will be passed by word of mouth to better help the community members understand and connect with the Missouri law enforcement.
DWI Springfield: Here to Help
With the upcoming increase of Missouri law enforcement officers on patrol there will likely be an increase in DWI arrests. Dan Romine, attorney and owner of DWI Springfield, understands that sometimes there are good defenses for DUI or DWI cases. Often these are cases of good people who made a mistake and deserve a second chance. The attorneys of DWI Springfield are here to help with their intimate knowledge or the criminal justice system and licensing procedures.