Down one officer, WSPD thinks outside the box for funding sources

Officers of the Willow Springs police department answered 5,840 calls for service in 2025, over 1,400 more than in 2024. Chief Wes Ellison reports an uptick in violent crimes cases in the city – there were two barricaded subjects last year, a shooting, a high-profile child sex crime case, and increase in sexual assault reports. 

 

Going into 2026, the department may operate with a maximum nine full-time officers, including Ellison, instead of the ten they had in the 2025 budget. As of this writing, the department is actively seeking to hire the ninth full-time role. There are eight officers on staff, with another expected to depart soon.

 

“The 2026 police budget allows for nine full-time officers, and one part-time officer or $19,000 for any combo of part-times,” said City Administrator Beverly Hicks. “If later in the year, we either do not see this working out and the need is there, we would need to go back to the council to request our tenth full-time officer.”

 

The total police budget this year is $946,600. According to year-end financials, the department spent $976,297 in 2025. 

 

Hicks said the increase in violent crimes in the city was not a, “specific” discussion in budget talks with the aldermen, mentioning that she, Chief Ellison, and Deputy Chief Ryan Boyle do confer after every major incident. 

 

In an interview Howell County News, Boyle said the tension between staffing  and budget constraints is a, “balance.” For instance, call volumes can be low on overnight shifts, but some of the most heinous crimes will also occur in the overnight hours. Prioritizing officer safety is always a primary concern. 

 

Hicks agrees the lines of communication have been open to discuss, “schedule changes, coverage changes, and on-call possibilities to aid in these issues.” 

 

“However, I was made aware that a few from the board had questions about the level of financial support and staffing needs for the police department.  General discussion with council was how to continue to balance a budget overall without continuing to increase departmental budgets without new revenue streams,” Hicks wrote in an email to the News. New revenue streams are Deputy Chief Boyle’s focus this year. He and Ellison are working toward getting Willow Springs accredited as a Blue Shield Community, which would give the department access to more grant opportunities. Boyle pointed out that accessing more grant funding will relieve the tax burden on the community. 

 

Blue Sheild status would also boost the department’s grant score, making the agency more attractive to grantmaking agencies in general. 

 

Six WSPD officers are getting certified as Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE) agents to allow the department to participate in the federal government’s 287G program. Participating agencies can access over $100,000 per officer in federal funding for equipment activities that aid in immigration enforcement. 

 

Neighboring agencies like Douglas, Ozark, and Wright County Sherriff’s’ Departments are already participating, according to information published by ICE. Both Chief Ellison and Ozark County Sheriff Cass Martin stressed that their departments will not be undertaking immigration investigations but will participate in detaining individuals within their jurisdictions where appropriate. For instance, Sherriff Martin made an arrest last week in connection with domestic abuse in Ozark County. The suspect had no immigration status, and Martin completed the arrest. 

 

The shift landscape of funding opportunities can have an effect on the way WSPD polices. In 2025, the department had access to Hazardous Moving Violation grant funding. The department issued 1,478 traffic citations in 2025. In 2024, they issued 500 less. In 2026, funding for that grant has already been denied, Boyle said. 

 

Despite personnel shortages, Boyle said in his year-end review to the board of aldermen that he is very proud of the work the officers produced that year. 

 

Patrol vehicles were an abnormal challenge in 2025, Boyle’s report said. There were an unusually high number of breakdowns and other mechanical issues. A vehicle purchase plan was a discussion topic for the Public Safety and Advisory Committee in 2025. Two Dodge Chargers were decommissioned for the department, and one new Chevrolet truck was purchased for the department. 

 

CLARIFICATIONS ADDED 2/5/26 AT 11:15 a.m. "Down one officer" refers to one fewer officer allowed by the 2026 WSPD budget. At the time of this writing, there were 8, not 9, officers on staff. Upon requesting a clarification, Chief Ellison announced the departure of Officer Mark Templemere. He also wished to clarify that the 287G funding for ICE enforcement is for equipment, vehicles, and other needs per officer if the department accomplishes immigration arrests. The actual amount of federal funding to be received in connection with 287(G), if any, remains unclear.