Community Services
Even though all Springfield Police Officers receive training in Community Oriented Policing and Crime Prevention, let's face it—the nature of a police department is to be reactive: first a crime is committed, then an officer is dispatched to the scene, first you exceed the speed limit, then an officer gives you a ticket. But there is one section in the police department that concentrates exclusively on a proactive approach to crime. Officers in the Community Services Section spend their time disseminating information and working on problems that cause crime.
Information
Providing general information is the job of the Public Information Officer. By serving as the central source of information about the department and distributing news releases to the media, the PIO helps keep the community up to date about police-involved events in the City.
PAR Officers can present programs on varied topics including alcohol awareness, drugs, and sexual assault. Contact your PAR Officer to arrange a program for your neighborhood or group. If they can't provide a presentation on the topic you're interested in, they can make arrangements for someone else to do it.
The main duty of the PAR Officers is to resolve longstanding problems in a neighborhood, thereby avoiding an escalation of minor incidents into violence. Read this page for more information about how your local PAR Officers can help you.
Some of the duties of the Crime Prevention Officer include organizing neighborhood watch groups and performing commercial and residential security surveys. A crime prevention newsletter is written and printed quarterly and provided to neighborhood groups upon request. He also provides crime prevention tips on this Web site. If you're interested in starting a neighborhood watch group or need other information from the Crime Prevention Officer, contact him at 417-874-2113 or by e-mail at Crime Prevention Unit E-mail.
