The Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno is announcing the shifting of police department funding for new programs connected to his declaration of racism as a public health crisis.
Sarno says 125-thousand dollars in police funding and matching dollars are going towards a new street outreach workers program with an emphasis on gang members, as well as cultural sensitivity and mental health training for police.
The funding needs to be approved at an upcoming City Council budget meeting.
Three City Council members, including council president Justin Hurst, say they sent an email to Sarno yesterday before his announcement suggesting that exact allotment of funds and how it could be used, but Sarno didn't mention them in a press release.