Springfield Police: Wearing Many Hats to Serve the Community

Description: A Letter from the Springfield Chief of Police Chris Griffin...

The Many Hats of Small-Town Police Officers

The Springfield Police Department wants to take a moment to clear up a common misconception: when you see our patrol vehicles parked at the office, we’re not inside kicking back with coffee and doughnuts. (Okay, maybe there’s coffee, but trust us, there’s not much time to enjoy it!)

In big-city departments, officers are divided into specialized units. Some focus only on traffic, some only investigate major crimes, some handle DUIs, and others process crime scenes. But here in Springfield, we do it all. Our officers are not just patrol cops, they’re detectives, traffic enforcement, accident investigators, crime scene processors, community liaisons, and sometimes even the ones fixing the office printer when it decides to quit on us.

So, What Are We Doing at the Office?

The reality of law enforcement is that a huge part of our job is paperwork. Every call we respond to, every traffic stop we make, every investigation we conduct, it all has to be documented properly. Reports must be written, evidence logged, body camera footage sorted, and case files prepared for court.

Think of it this way: for every 10 minutes we spend on a scene, there’s often an hour of paperwork and other tasks that follow. It’s not the high-speed, action-packed work people imagine, but it’s absolutely necessary to ensure cases hold up in court.

Not Every Call Becomes a Headline Because Not Everyone Wants to Hear About Bob and Earl's Fence Argument.

Another thing the public doesn’t always see is just how many calls for service our department handles that never make the news or social media. Not every call involves a major crime, an arrest, or an emergency response. In fact, a large portion of our job involves investigating reports where, after hours of reviewing records, gathering statements, and combing through case-specific information, it becomes clear that no crime actually occurred.

That doesn’t mean what happened was right, it just means that it may fall under civil litigation, not criminal law. Some disputes between individuals, businesses, landlords and tenants, or neighbors don’t meet the threshold of a criminal offense, even if they seem unfair or frustrating. In these situations, the next step is often a civil judgment, not an arrest.

These cases take time, time that isn’t seen in flashing lights or dramatic arrests, but time that is essential to upholding justice and ensuring the right legal path is followed.

We Share the Cool Stuff, But There’s A Lot You Don’t See

We do our best to keep the community updated on the cool things we do, like catching suspects, big investigations, and community outreach. But the truth is, there’s a whole lot of boring stuff that happens behind the scenes.

For every exciting case we share, there are countless hours spent writing reports, processing evidence, following up on leads, handling routine calls, dealing with administrative tasks, and sitting through required trainings. It’s not always exciting, but it’s the reality of law enforcement.

Committed to Our Community

At the end of the day, our officers are here because we love this community and take pride in keeping it safe. Small-town policing is more than just enforcing laws, it’s about building relationships, being there when people need us most, and sometimes explaining why a rooster on Main Street doesn’t count as a traffic hazard.

We appreciate your support and understanding as we juggle the many roles we play. If you ever have questions about what we do, just ask, we’re happy to share. And yes, we do like doughnuts, but only because they pair so well with endless paperwork and coffee.

Chris Griffin

Chief of Police

Springfield Police Department

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