Staffing levels called emergency

Mike Evans, president of the Springfield Police Officers Association, speaks with a local legislator outside City Hall recently.
In Missouri, the Springfield Police Officers Association is calling the shortage of officers there an emergency. It says the police department is so short staffed there aren’t enough officers to keep up with the City’s crime. Monday, the fight between the Police Union and the City Council came to a head leaving both parties at a loss at what to do. Mayor Bob Stephens sponsored a resolution that would delay the talks about adding more police officers. The union was already upset with him after he said giving the PD more officers would make the city offices like a “caste system.” That comment didn’t sit well with police officers and now the officer’s union is asking for the public’s help in what they are calling a critical public safety emergency. “We’re upset,” said the President of the Springfield Police Officers Association, Mike Evans.