Skip to Content

We obtained data on 526 Missouri police departments.

  Loading Map ...
 
Police Department Springfield
40% SCORE

Scorecard at a Glance

Average for 4 Sections: 40%

Scores range from 0-100% comparing cities with 100-250k population. Cities with higher scores spend less on policing, use less force, are more likely to hold officers accountable and make fewer arrests for low-level offenses.

Worse
50th Percentile
Better
Police Funding:  35%
Police Budget Cost per Person        
Misconduct Settlements        
Fines/Forfeitures        
Police Presence/Over-Policing (Officers per Population)        
Police Violence:  42%
Force Used per Arrest        
Deadly Force per Arrest        
Unarmed Victims of Deadly Force per Arrest        
Racial Disparities in Deadly Force        
Worse
50th Percentile
Better
Police Accountability:  43%
Misconduct Complaints Upheld        
Excessive Force Complaints Upheld        
Discrimination Complaints Upheld        
Criminal Misconduct Complaints Upheld        
Approach to Law Enforcement:  39%
Arrest Rate for Low Level Offenses        
Homicides Solved        
Racial Disparities in Drug Arrests        

Key Findings

Police Funding i

35% +3%

Police Funding By Year

$69.8M  |  168,854 Residents  |  $415 per Resident

More Police Funding per Capita than 81% of Depts

Funds Spent On Misconduct Settlements

$2M per year from 2006-20  |  $129,682 per 10k population

^  More Spending due to Misconduct than 92% of Depts   

Number of officers per 1k population

309 Officers  |  18.3 per 10k Residents

More Officers per Population than 70% of Depts

Police violence i

42% -4%

Open in New Window

Less-Lethal Force

Used More Force per Arrest than 70% of Depts

862 Incidents  |  128 every 10k arrests  |  -15%

Open in New Window

Deadly Force

14 Killings by Police from 2013-21  |  1.4 every 10k arrests

^  More Killings by Police per Arrest than 64% of Depts   

Deadly Force by Armed Status

14% Unarmed  |  29% Did Not Allegedly Have a Gun

Unarmed Other Alleged Gun Vehicle
14%
14%
71%

^  More Unarmed People Killed per Arrest than 65% of Depts   

Open in New Window

Police Violence by Race

Black Latinx N.Am API Other White

Population of Springfield

85%

Springfield Police Dept Demographics

91%

People Arrested

16%
77%

People Killed

7%
7%
86%

^  More Racial Disparities in Deadly Force than 35% of Depts   

Police Accountability i

43% -9%

Total civilian complaints

126 from 2016-21  |  36% Ruled in Favor of Civilians

 

Complaints Not Sustained Complaints Sustained

Use of Force Complaints

54 Reported  |  2% Ruled in Favor of Civilians

Complaints of Police Discrimination

11 Reported  |  0% Ruled in Favor of Civilians

 

Complaints Reported Ruled in Favor of Civilians

Alleged Crimes Committed by Police

1 Reported  |  0% Ruled in Favor of Civilians

 

Complaints Reported Ruled in Favor of Civilians

Approach to Law Enforcement i

39% +1%

Arrests By Year

98,765 Arrests Reported from 2013-2021

Low Level Arrests Other Arrests

More Info

Arrests for Low Level Offenses

54,156 Arrests  |  40 per 1k residents

^  Higher Arrest Rate for Low Level Offenses than 92% of Depts   

Disparities in Arrests for Low Level Offenses by Race/Ethnicity

Black people were 4.5x more likely and Latinx people were 0.5x more likely to be arrested for low level, non-violent offenses than a white person.

Black Latinx White

Percent of total arrests by type

All Arrests for Low Level Offenses ( 55% )

Drug Possession ( 8% )

Violent Crime ( 7% )

Open in New Window

Homicides Unsolved

128 Homicides from 2013-21  |  20 Unsolved

^  Solved Fewer Homicides than 73% of Depts   

Percent of Homicides Unsolved by Race

Homicides of Black Victims Unsolved ( 30% )

Homicides of White Victims Unsolved ( 15% )

Missouri Police Department Scores

Rankings are based upon a 0 to 100 percentage scale. Departments with higher scores use less force, make fewer arrests for low level offenses, solve murder cases more often, hold officers more accountable and spend less on policing overall.

Overall Scores for Depts where We Have Obtained the Most Data.

Grade Scale Tap "show more" to see extended list

Police Department Score 5YR
5. St. Louis City 26% -1%
4. Kansas City 26% +1%
3. Independence 31% -16%
2. Springfield 40% -2%
1. St. Louis County 43% -4%
* Platte Woods 29% -10%
* Pagedale 30% -1%
* Joplin 34% -4%
+4%
+4%
-2%
+7%
-3%
-4%
-3%
+3%
+2%
+3%
-4%
-1%
+3%
+8%
+2%
-7%
+11%
-10%
-2%
+5%
+4%
-3%
+9%
-4%
+3%
+2%
+7%
+4%
+3%
+6%
+8%
-1%
+3%
+3%
+2%
+2%
+3%
+5%
+1%
+8%
-1%
+3%
+10%
+3%
+3%
+3%
-3%
-3%
+7%
+2%
-4%
+1%
+6%
+13%
-7%
+7%
+3%
+9%
+1%
+3%
-6%
+1%
-3%
+1%
+3%
+6%
-2%
-3%
+2%
+4%
+4%
-3%
+1%
-13%
+2%
-1%
+3%
+1%
+1%
+1%
+3%
+3%
+2%
+3%
+3%
+3%
+3%
-1%
+2%
-5%
+9%
-6%
-5%
-8%
+1%
+8%
-2%
-1%
+3%
+9%
-3%
+8%
+3%
+5%
-3%
-1%
-4%
-2%
+9%
-1%
-3%
+11%
-2%
+2%
+8%
+3%
-1%
+3%
+1%
+2%
+2%
+7%
-10%
+3%
+1%
+2%
-7%
+3%
-11%
+10%
-1%
-9%
-9%
+6%
-6%
+6%
+8%
+3%
-6%
+5%
-4%
+3%
+6%
+2%
-1%
-2%
+2%
+1%
+2%
-3%
+1%
+4%
+3%
+2%
+4%
+8%
+2%
-6%
+6%
-3%
-1%
+9%
+1%
-1%
-1%
+3%
+5%
+2%
+10%
+2%
+10%
-5%
-2%
+6%
+6%
-1%
-1%
+1%
-4%
-1%
-5%
+3%
+2%
+3%
Police Department Score 5YR
* Stanberry 45%
* Homestown 45%
* Lake Annette Freeman 45%
* Irondale 46%
* Southwest City 46% +2%
* Easton 46%
* Martinsburg 46%
* Everton 46%
+2%
+1%
-1%
-1%
+2%
+2%
-4%
-7%
-10%
-1%
+3%
-1%
-2%
+1%
+5%
-6%
+6%
-6%
+8%
-2%
-2%
-5%
+1%
-3%
+4%
-3%
-6%
+1%
+1%
-5%
-2%
+2%
+2%
-5%
-1%
-3%
+2%
-7%
-11%
+9%
+7%
+6%
-6%
+4%
-4%
-2%
-7%
-13%
+3%
+6%
-7%
+2%
+2%
-1%
-2%
-2%
-6%
+3%
+3%
+3%
-3%
-3%
+2%
-11%
+2%
+2%
+10%
+2%
-3%
-2%
+3%
+5%
+4%
+6%
+5%
+1%
+5%
-6%
-3%
-4%
-1%
-3%
-11%
-1%
+3%
-6%
-4%
-6%
-3%
+7%
-2%
+4%
-1%
-2%
+6%
+8%
+4%
+7%
-8%
-1%
-3%
+1%
+2%
-3%
+1%
-7%
+1%
-2%
-2%
-2%
+1%
-1%
+7%
+1%
-3%
+3%
+2%
+9%
+4%
-6%
-1%
-1%
+4%
+9%
+2%
-5%
-5%
+7%
+6%
-2%
+6%
-6%
-2%
+1%
+6%
-6%
+4%
-1%
+1%
-2%
-7%
+2%
-2%
-3%
+2%
-4%
+8%
+1%
-1%
+1%
+2%
+9%
-2%
-3%
-3%
-1%
+5%
-3%
-1%
+2%
-10%
-4%
+2%
+3%
+8%
-2%
-3%
+1%
+4%
+11%
+1%
-2%

* An asterisk indicates this location did not publish enough data to evaluate. Click below to add data to the Scorecard.

About This Scorecard

This is the first nationwide evaluation of policing in the United States. It was built using data from state and federal databases, public records requests to local police departments, and media reports. While police data is never perfect, and there are additional indicators that still need to be tracked, the Police Scorecard is designed to provide insight into many important issues in policing.

 

Police Scorecard is an independent 501(c)(3) organization, learn more about our team here. If you have feedback, questions about the project, or need support with an advocacy campaign, contact our Founder, Samuel Sinyangwe.

methodology Source Data

 

Use this Scorecard to identify issues within police departments that require the most urgent interventions and hold officials accountable for implementing solutions. For example, cities with higher rates of low level arrests could benefit most from solutions that create alternatives to policing and arrest for these offenses. In cities where police make fewer arrests overall but use more force when making arrests, communities could benefit significantly from policies designed to hold police accountable for excessive force. And cities where complaints of police misconduct are rarely ruled in favor of civilians could benefit from creating an oversight structure to independently investigate these complaints.

 

Here's how to start pushing for change

  • Contact your Mayor and Police Chief, share your scorecard with them and urge them to enact policies to address the issues you've identified:
    Advocacy Tip:  We've identified problematic language in this city's police union contract that could make it harder to hold officers accountable. Learn more about this contract and how to change it at Nixthe6.org.
  • Look up your state and federal representatives below, then tell them to take action to hold police accountable in your community.