Public safety subcommittee weighs patrol plans after $26 million sheriff budget cut

SPRINGFIELD CITY — At its April 7 meeting, the Springfield City Public Safety Subcommittee discussed steps city police will take to cover patrol gaps after a state-level reduction that, officials said, cost Hammond County about $26 million and prompted staff reductions in the sheriff’s department.

Council Member Jerry Martin, who chairs the subcommittee, opened the session and said the county cuts "caused the sheriff to cut some jobs." He thanked Sheriff Coochi for past cooperation with Springfield and asked whether police and parks officials had plans to compensate for lost sheriff patrols in key areas such as Forest Park and Union Station.

City police and parks staff told the committee they have preexisting partnerships and internal resources to deploy. An SPD representative said the department will rely on metro and C3 units, traffic units, walking posts and seasonal bike patrols to cover the roles the sheriff’s deputies previously filled at Union Station and in Forest Park, and that the department is prepared to staff vacancies if the sheriff’s positions are lost. The department pointed to a traffic enforcement grant that began April 1 and to seasonal anti–drag-racing and distracted-driving deployments that run into mid-September as additional enforcement tools.

Why it matters: Forest Park, Union Station and neighborhood hubs such as Mason Square are high-visibility public spaces where residents expect regular patrols; committee members said the sheriff’s presence helped reassure frequent park users and worried that losing deputy assignments could change that visible security.

Parks Director Tom Ash and Superintendent Acres (who was described as participating in earlier meetings) said Forest Park will remain a priority for park staff and that bike patrols are viewed as a form of community policing that increases contact between officers and residents. Ash said the parks department has space in the park information building that previously hosted sheriff radios and equipment, and that space will remain available to police going forward.

The committee also pressed the department about public-health work in parks. Council members asked whether the sheriff-run needle-cleanup crew — paid from a separate funding source — will continue. SPD said that work is funded separately, that the same crew (described as three to four people) will continue to service targeted parks and that crew members received training on safe disposal.

Public comment amplified safety concerns. Resident Stephen Howard said officers reported several shootings and recovered multiple shell casings in recent incidents and asked what stepped-up enforcement was planned in affected neighborhoods. SPD said sector lieutenants assign officers to areas where shootings or other increased activity are reported and that walking posts and bike patrols will be added in Mason Square and other hotspots.

A caller identified as Mr. Stokes raised an unrelated allegation — that a domestic-violence survivor, Stephanie Madrano, was arrested after seeking the shift commander — but the chair said that matter was outside the agenda and would be handled separately.

Several council members asked for follow-up briefings. Members requested a future discussion on police‑station lobby protocols and on changes to the North End C3 team; the subcommittee agreed those operational questions should be scheduled and that Commissioner Acres and other officials be invited to provide more detail.

No policy vote was taken. The meeting closed after a motion to adjourn was made and seconded; Chair Martin thanked officers for attending and adjourned the meeting at 5:17 p.m.

What’s next: Subcommittee members said they will seek an update next week on talks between SPD and the state police about supplemental deployments and will schedule a follow-up meeting to review police‑station protocols and North End C3 staffing.

Direct quotes (from the transcript): "we lost 26 million dollars and uh that that caused the sheriff to cut some jobs," said Council Member Jerry Martin. Mr. Stokes said a domestic-violence survivor "was immediately arrested" after seeking the shift commander; the chair declined to address that item in the session.