Springfield to crack down on youth disturbances, violence at Union Station

The city of Springfield is taking steps to crack down on youth disturbances taking place at Union Station and 22 News reporter Kayleigh Thomas joins us live in studio after attending a conference where new measures were discussed to make the city's transportation hub safer. Mayor Dominic Sarno and police are fed up after a constant series of incidents have taking place at the station, including one last night. Mayor Sarno now taking a hard line approach to put a stop to it. Springfield Mayor Dominic Sarno is calling for a total end to the P. V. T. A. S. Free busing program, citing safety concerns following a massive disturbance at Union Station. It turned my stomach. It was disgusting. The disrespect Mayor Sarno stated that around 8 30 p.m. Monday night, he witnessed police responding to about 70 young people acting out of control right behind me. I've had to pull my officers from areas that they needed to be in to come down here to deal with the havoc. Sarno says the scene was unacceptable, and he watched police arrest a juvenile female who allegedly threatened officers. I'll never forget those words, she said. If I had a gun, I'd shoot every one of you cops that can't be tolerated. The mayor's proposal to end free transit for students is intended to curb the gatherings that led to these disturbances. Adding a structured voucher system could be created. Instead, the mayor is also looking into parental supervision and escorts, and it doesn't stop there. I'm here to tell you that we are the bottom line, and we will make the arrest. According to Springfield Police P. I. O. Ryan Walsh. Just in May, 11 juveniles were arrested at the station. On top of that, there were 225 calls for service, which led to 54 incident reports and 20 total arrests. The majority of the rest were for trespassing and warrants. As part of the safe travels initiative for Union Station that started last August the Hampton County Sheriff's Office had two deputies working two shifts Monday through Friday alongside Springfield and Amtrak police. But due to state budget issues, they were let go on April 12th. Springfield Police Superintendent Acres stated. Since then, they've had to fill those gaps with their own officers working for you. Kelly Thomas 22 news.