SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (News-Leader) — As part of an expanded pact, Springfield police officers will now patrol the Missouri State campus 24 hours a day.

The police substation on campus has long been staffed from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m., leaving a four-hour gap overnight.

The MSU Board of Governors voted Aug. 8 to revise its longstanding agreement with the Springfield Police Department to staff the substation at all times. The university will pay the city $819,850 for the 2019-20 year, an increase of $59,791, or 7.9 percent.

Currently, there are 10 full-time police officers assigned to the substation, and they work 10-hour shifts. The additional funds will cover overtime for the assigned officers to staff the substation from 3-7 a.m.

MSU President Clif Smart said calls for services have typically been low during the four-hour period, but the university wanted the gap eliminated. “It allows us to tell parents and students that we always have police presence on campus, 100 percent of the time.”

To read the rest of the article by the Springfield News-Leader, click here.