SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – During Monday night's Springfield City Council meeting, Police Chief Paul Williams presented data for the first half of 2024 compared to 2023, showing an overall decrease in crime in the city.
“This is the end of three downward trends,” Williams said. “Crime has been trending downward since 2021, so we expect it to plateau at some point and I think we're approaching that new baseline.”
Crimes against persons are down 3.3% compared to the first six months of 2023, Williams said, citing data from the National Incident Reporting System. There have been two murders and manslaughter so far this year, compared to eight last year. There has been one manslaughter so far this year, compared to three last year, according to the data. But this is where the details get a little hazy.
A look at the Springfield Police Department's website reveals that officers have investigated four homicides. In NIBRS data, homicide is defined as “the killing of another human being.” In fact, the department investigated four homicides through June. A total of five people were killed in those cases. However, NIBRS breaks down those homicides into different categories.
Of the four homicides, two were classified as murder and manslaughter, one as manslaughter, and one as justifiable homicide, which is defined as “the killing of a perpetrator of a felony by a police officer in the line of duty, or the killing of a private citizen during the commission of a felony.” The homicide stemmed from a robbery in which two people died during the incident. Springfield Police say the case remains under investigation.
Property crimes are also down in some areas: theft is down 4.7% and robbery is down 8.7%. But welfare fraud, for example, is up 66.7% and shoplifting is up 36.8%.
Auto thefts are on the decline — in fact, they're down 16.4 percent from last year — and Williams said he thinks the numbers are wrong.
“This number comes on the heels of cuts of about 30 percent, 30 to 40 percent over the last two years, so I've double- and triple-checked the number,” Williams said, “and I'm happy to report that it's accurate.”
Chief Williams said over the past four years, auto thefts have decreased by almost 50 percent.
The numbers also show that officers made more arrests for drug offenses, including heroin, opioids and methamphetamines. Williams said there is also good news when it comes to drug use.
“We've seen a dramatic drop in overdose deaths,” Williams said, “which means fewer people are being affected. That's down to a combination of factors. First, we have aggressive enforcement and the availability of Narcan, not just to health care providers but throughout the community, which helps prevent these events.”
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