Springfield Chief of Police Says Crime Rates are Falling

The Chief of the Springfield Police Department says crimes is dropping around the city.

During a city council meeting on Monday, Chief Paul Williams presented the latest crime data to councilmembers.

Violent crimes, property crimes, theft and burglary crimes and vehicle theft are all trending down.

Williams also says that sexual assault, rape and sodomy cases have seen a decrease as well.

He believes that efforts on social media to alert residents have yielded positive results.

Williams spent time during his report pointing out that the department is still in need of 51 officers, whose positions are currently vacant.