public safety

Overall crime is pretty much flat in Springfield, according to the latest annual data presented to City Council this week. Police Chief Paul Williams says the city has seen notable drops in reported homicides, gun crime and motor vehicle theft.

"About three of every five home fire deaths occur in residences without working smoke alarms,” said State Fire Marshal Tim Bean.

Amendment 4 affects local funding and state oversight for Kansas City police. Supporters say "adequate funding is needed" to keep this big-city community safe, but the mayor of Kansas City since 2019, Quinton Lucas, opposes the proposed amendment because it "takes power" from local officials. KSMU’s Gregory Holman has this interview.

On Monday night, Springfield City Council will hold a public hearing on whether to send a 3/4-cent sales tax measure to voters. The proposed tax measure would pay for public safety efforts and community projects.

Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams said crime in Missouri’s third-largest city continues to trend downwards.

A recently-awarded grant of nearly $798,000 will allow more staffing for Springfield's mental health partnership between police and Burrell Behavioral Health.

A 30-member Citizens Commission on Community Investment was appointed by Springfield City Council earlier this week. Commissioners will soon start work. Their task is deciding whether to ask voters to renew a key sales tax passed during the Great Recession — and how to spend the money.

In the Great Recession era, Springfield passed a sales tax to address a $200 million shortfall in the pension fund for police and firefighters. Now the city is looking to possibly renew that sales tax.

Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams gave a complex crime report at the July 24 City Council meeting.

The Springfield area is known as Missouri's capital of domestic violence. But is that only because those crimes are reported more often here than in other parts of the Show-Me State? KSMU's Gregory Holman is joined by Springfield Daily Citizen journalists Jackie Rehwald and Steve Pokin.