Table of Contents

See Something. Say Something.

We need active citizens who are engaged in their community to report the problematic things that they see in order to keep small problems from turning into large, unmanageable issues.

And we’ll show you how to contact the City and SPD about all of your problems!

How to Report a Concern to the City

For simple non-emergency nuisance concerns involving property violations, trash, zoning issues, illegal parking, etc.—the easiest way for you to make a report is by contacting the Citizen Resource Center. They will process your request and send it to the appropriate department. We find that often neighbors suffer in silence and don't make reports simply because they don't know who to make the report to. That's what the Citizen Resource Center is there for. 

We think the best way to contact the Citizen Resource Center is by using the web based SeeClickFix Request Tracker or by downloading the City of Springfield App for Apple or Android.

You can also contact the Citizen Resource Center by calling 417-864-1010 or sending an email to city@springfieldmo.gov

Contact Your PAR Officer

The purpose of a PAR (Police Area Representative) Officer is to have a direct contact for citizens when dealing with neighborhood concerns and complaints.  PAR officers work varying schedules, which allows them to focus the necessary attention to neighborhood concerns and complaints.  PAR officers utilize criminal codes when possible to deal with neighborhood complaints or concerns, but also work with other City departments when those complaints or concerns can be addressed through other non-criminal City codes.  

When PAR officers get involved in a neighborhood issue, their job is not to find fault or place blame, but to coordinate and facilitate efforts in hopes of solving the identified problem.  Find your PAR Officer's Contact information here

When Should I Call 911?

Anytime you need police, fire, or ambulance services dispatched call 911!

The Springfield-Greene County 911 Emergency Communications Department is committed to efficiently and compassionately answering the public's 911 calls for emergency service response. 

Anytime you need services dispatched—you should call 911. 

Always call 911 during an emergency.

Call If You Can, Text If You Can’t

Voice 911 calls are still the preferred method of receiving emergency calls so the telecommunicator can talk with the person, but you can now text 911. The slogan "call if you can, text if you can't" is exactly what the community should remember.

It was important to prepare and bring this capability to our area to add another way to contact 911, especially for the speech and hearing-impaired community. When an emergency situation occurs and assistance is needed from police, fire, or emergency medical ambulance personnel— you can now text 911 and your message will be delivered into the 911 phone system. 911 will be able to text a response and determine what assistance is needed. 

Remember to know your location, be brief, use plain language, and avoid abbreviations so that the telecommunicators can clearly understand what is occurring.

You Can Make Anonymous Reports

Crime Stoppers encourages members of the community to assist local law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime by overcoming the two key elements that inhibit community involvement: fear and apathy.

The Greater Springfield Area Crime Stoppers relies on cooperation between the police, the media, and citizens to provide anonymous information about crime and criminals in the Greene County area with a major focus on crime within Springfield city limits.

All tip submissions are kept completely anonymous by using a tip hotline number (417-869-TIPS), or a secure online website (P3tips.com). There is also a discreet P3 app available for smartphone that can be downloaded via Google Play or the Apple App Store. Please do not submit tip information through the Crime Stoppers Facebook page, as this is not secure or anonymous.

File Online Police Reports

In non-emergency situations you can now file a Police Report online instead of interacting with Police in person. Using the Springfield Police Department Citizens’ Online Police Reporting System you can report incidents such as Vandalism, Lost Property, Harassment, Thefts, Supplements and more.

To file an online Police Report visit the SPD website.

Properly Describe a Suspect

To capture a criminal in highly mobile times, it is of utmost importance for the police to promptly obtain an accurate description. Try to start with a top down approach and be as specific as possible in your description.

Try to note sex, height, build, weight, hair color and type, presence of tattoos and their shape and style. Clothing information can be very important. Note colors of shoes, shirts, pants, etc. Pay attention to accessories the suspect may be wearing. 

Any specific information can be important. 

How to Report a Street Light Outage

A well lit neighborhood is a safer neighborhood. City Utilities needs your help with keeping the lights on in Springfield. What can you do? 

Pay attention. When driving or walking at night take notice of neighborhood street lights. Are the lights flickering? Are they turning off and on? Is a light completely out? If so—we need you to make a report to City Utilities! 

You can report a street light outage to City Utilities by using the online form here 

You can contact City Utilities by phone at (417) 863-9000

To request that a new street light be added to a dark street or alley you can contact City Utilities’ Developer Services by phone at (417) 831-8888 or you can fill out the online form here.

Embrace CPTED Philosophy

CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) is a crime prevention philosophy that attempts to apply physical design, citizen participation, and law enforcement strategies in a comprehensive way to protect neighborhoods or facilities.

CPTED’s goal is to prevent crime through designing a physical environment that positively influences human behavior—people who use the area regularly perceive it as safe, and would-be criminals see the area as a highly risky place to commit crime.

Click here to visit SPD's CPTED page.

Click here to evaluate your home based on CPTED principles.

Keep a Property Record Form

If you are the victim of a burglary it is important that you know the serial numbers of the items stolen. Without the positive identification made possible by a serial number — or a unique number which you may engrave or mark on your property — you may not be able to prove you are the rightful owner if the item is recovered from the thief. 

Take a few minutes and record the description, serial numbers and value of those items which are most likely to be stolen. If you have valuable jewelry, silver, antiques or art objects, take color photographs and note any marks, blemishes or features that make it uniquely identifiable. Keep your property record form and photographs with your insurance papers or in another safe place.

To download a property record form click here.

Register Your Security Cameras

Do you currently have a camera system at your business or home for the security and protection of your property, family or employees? If so, SPD would like to hear from you. 

Video footage is one of the best methods for identifying, apprehending, and convicting  criminals. Using SPD’s website, Springfield business owners and residents can register their security cameras with the police. SPD will maintain a database of camera locations. Should the devices have the potential to be helpful in the investigation of a crime the database will allow the police to quickly determine the availability of video footage. 

Note, officers will not be able to monitor your camera footage. This program only allows SPD to know there are cameras in the area where a crime has occurred. Officers can then request footage from the owner if that footage contains evidence of a crime. 

To register your cameras with SPD click here.

File a Letter of Enforcement

Fill out and file this form to allow SPD to issue trespassing citations on a property when the owner is not present. Encourage your absentee landowners to fill out and file these forms. The forms are also helpful for instances when a property owner may be traveling out of town.  Download a letter of enforcement here.

The completed form can be emailed to: SPDmail@springfieldmo.gov

Or you can mail the completed form to: 

Police Headquarters 

321 E Chestnut Exp

Springfield, MO 65802

Or you can fax the completed form to 417-864-1714

LexisNexis Community Crime Map

The Community Crime Map is a tool provided in partnership with the City of Springfield to help keep citizens aware of Police Reports that have been issued in and around their neighborhoods. It is free for the public to use. Visit the Community Crime Map Website here.

*Our Crime & Nuisance Watch Guide was created in collaboration with our friends from the Woodland Watch the Official Neighborhood Watch of the Woodland Heights Neighborhood. Thanks Woodland Watch friends for letting us adapt your guide for communal use.