There is no substitute for having a safe city and a recent gang resurgence in Springdale has prompted Mayor Doug Sprouse to put more officers in schools and the neighborhoods.
Sprouse announced with city leaders on Tuesday (April 21) plans to add seven new school resource officers to the police force. He said the school resource officers will be paid for by federal funding and they will also spend time in neighborhoods across the city.
"With expansion and growth come new challenges," said Sprouse. "That's true not just of Springdale but of every growing city. Great things are happening in Springdale on almost a daily basis. But no matter how strong a community is, it must be continually and carefully nurtured. We must not allow our city to be defined by the actions of a few."
Sprouse emphasized the priority of citizen safety. He plans to ask the city council to approve the funding for 10 new police officer hires as well as specific and tactical measures that are also in the works to crack down on gang related violence.
"Make no mistake. We're going to do what it takes to protect the people of this community and keep this a safe place for every citizen," said Sprouse. "When crimes happen, we solve them. We will arrest those responsible. And, we will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law."
On April 11, 20-year-old Jimmy Rodriguez was fatally shot in his driveway in a reported gang altercation involving three teenagers — ages 13, 17 and 18. This was the second fatal gang shooting in Springdale neighborhoods in recent weeks.
Springdale Police Chief Kathy O’Kelley said local law enforcement is engaged in addressing the uptick in gang-related violence. At Tuesday’s press conference O'Kelley said the police department is redeploying its crime suppression unit and has implemented directed patrols specific to youth crime. The city discontinued the crime suppression unit in 2012, when it ran into staffing issues.