For the second straight year, the COPS Hiring Program is awarding the Springfield Police Department grant money to hire more police officers.
The department will be able to hire 11 new officers thanks to the funding, which accounts for $1.3 million over a 3-year period.
The City must make a local cash match of 25 percent over that span, and then will assume 100 percent of the ongoing costs for the additional officers.
According to a news release, six of the new officers will be assigned to patrol in the Center City Zone, located within the northwest quadrant of the city, part of which is in City Council Zone 1. These assignments are in part due to a series of concerning trends, including crime, the city says.
The remaining five officers will be assigned to a new evening-shift traffic unit dedicated to DWI, hazardous motor vehicle violation enforcement, and neighborhood traffic concerns, according to Police Chief Paul Williams.
“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,” Williams said.
Of the more than 1,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide requesting grant assistance, 196 were approved, including four in Missouri. Springfield was graded on various criteria to determine eligibility. According to Williams, the department scored high in the area of community policing, and its ability to partner with other public agencies, private organizations and citizens to address recurring challenges.
The grant is contingent upon formal City Council acceptance. The grant award information will be presented at an upcoming City Council meeting.
The Springfield Police Department says it is actively recruiting and testing for current vacancies, and will continue that process to fill these new positions. Up next is a testing scheduled for Oct. 30 at the Springfield Regional Police and Fire Training Center at 2620 W. Battlefield. This will determine academy enrollment for February 2016. A summer 2016 academy for the grant-funded officers is also anticipated, which would put these new officers on the street in spring 2017.
In 2014, Springfield was also awarded a COPS Hiring Program grant to bring in 10 new positions.
