Springfield police working to make walking safer

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Springfield residents are raising concerns after they say it's gotten too dangerous to go for a walk around the city, even when the sun is shining.

A Gallup poll shows more than 50% of women who were interviewed are scared of walking alone at night, and here in Springfield, that concern is starting to become more prevalent.

"It's scary when you're young and female too, which is more vulnerable and people say, 'Oh, why don't you just walk away?' But it's not always that easy," said a Missouri State student.

It is situations like this that make people concerned about walking alone at night. Lt. Brandon Penrose with the Springfield Police Department says they are doing their best to make sure no one feels unsafe.

"We do a direct patrol. So, we look at our crime stats and see where like evaluating current crime trends and all that because we want to deploy our officers into the best place possible in order to address any crime trends," said Lt. Penrose.

Ozark business owner sentenced for social security fraud, leaving father to eat cat food

Jaylah Hicks — a student at Missouri State — says she has her phone on her at all times because she's had men come up to her while she's walking on trails, making her uncomfortable.

"Know your environment, know that if you need to call somebody, know what to do in those situations. If you want to call your friend, call somebody in that moment to kind of avoid them talking to you," said Hicks.

Another MSU student who wishes to remain nameless says she experienced a scary situation while on a walk not too long ago.

"I started to get really worried because they were advancing on me a little bit, making more comments about how I want it. I just don't realize that," said the student. "So I turned to the side and called my friend."

Lt. Penrose says if anyone sees any suspicious activity going on or if they run into a situation on their own, to immediately contact the Springfield police department.