Missouri State University applauds the work of the Springfield Police Department, its law enforcement partners and federal prosecutors in stopping a multi-million dollar catalytic converter theft ring operating in the Springfield area. Last year, 12 catalytic converters were stolen from vehicles owned by students, employees and the university and two other thefts in process were interrupted by Campus Safety.

Fortunately, the University has a robust camera system that was able to be used to identify some of the individuals involved. This information was provided to the Springfield Police Department’s MSU substation as part of the evidence that led to federal charges being filed. Associate Director of University Safety Andrew Englert said, “This has been a frustrating situation for our campus community, so we are very pleased to see serious actions being taken to discourage others from similar actions.”

University Safety has a dispatch center that operates 24 hours each day, seven days per week monitoring over 750 university cameras and supporting the 20 campus safety personnel 10 Springfield Police Officers assigned to the MSU substation who are out in the field patrolling the campus to reduce crime on campus. This situation reinforces the benefits of the relationship between the University and the Springfield Police Department. More information on the investigation and the federal charges is available on local news outlets.