Legal action threatened against city of Springfield for lack of police staffing

DAYTON, Ohio ( WDTN ) — Some Springfield residents claim the police division is understaffed.

One group of taxpayers is threatening to take legal action, claiming that the Springfield police division does not have enough officers on staff.

“And me as a concerned citizen, I feel as though, you know, we should be doing more for this community,” said Sabrina Parker, Springfield resident.

On Tuesday, the city of Springfield received a letter from a lawyer representing Springfield taxpayers. The letter says that the city’s police division is mandated to have at least 130 officers on staff, but they say the division only has 119 officers.

The taxpayers claim the city is misapplying the funds from a city charter and 2017 tax levy by not having a fully staffed police division.

“Because, you know, we want to feel safe in our community. And if they’re not doing what they need to, then where’s the problem? And can we get the problem addressed and fixed?” said Parker.

The letter demands that the city has 14 days to hire more officers to meet the quota or a lawsuit will be filed. People living in Springfield say they believe drastic measures are necessary to see change in the department.

“I think it’s good that our community is coming together to put that pressure down because, I mean, when you live somewhere, you want to feel safe. And if our community can’t do that, again, where can we fix the problem? What can we do?” said Parker.

The Springfield Police Division was not available to comment on the letter or if they have been able to hire any additional officers.

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