IN A TOWN BUILT ON PUBLIC SERVICE, ESSENTIAL SAFETY SERVICES ARE DETERIORATING.
Every year, the Springfield Police and Fire Departments respond to well over 100,000 calls for service. The people of Springfield expect that when they need help, the police officer or fire fighter who is called arrives quickly, and with the resources to do the job.
According to a 2022 study completed by the IL-PBPA, the Springfield Police Department is experiencing a severe recruitment and retention crisis. With historically low staffing and experience levels, call response times are way up. This has resulted in the public being placed in unnecessarily heightened danger.
Since 2015, the Police Department has hired 164 new officers, but 189 have left. And projections show that another 75-129 will leave in the next three years. This has directly resulted in increased response times, impaired officer judgment, and officers arriving on scene without backup.
By failing to replace officers who retire, currently 51% of patrol officers have less than 4 years experience.