EXCLUSIVE: 'They have decided to go silent': Springfield police cut radio access as Springfield descends into 'absolute turmoil,' says Ohio police chief

Tremont City Police Chief Chad Duncan says Springfield, Ohio, has fallen into "absolute turmoil" since the arrival of approximately 20,000 Haitian nationals.

Blaze News' Julio Rosas returned to Tremont City, located approximately eight miles outside Springfield, this week to speak with local officials and residents to learn their perspective on the impact of the new arrivals.

'They're allowing them to drive.'

Duncan told Rosas that Springfield has descended into lawlessness and that he is concerned it is spreading to nearby towns, including Tremont City.

"You've got a city that's in absolute turmoil," he said, referring to Springfield. "Everybody's against everybody."

One of Duncan's most significant concerns is the increase in traffic accidents caused by Haitian drivers, who often are not licensed to operate vehicles, he said.

He told Blaze News that Tremont City law enforcement is doing everything possible to crack down on the potentially deadly crashes but noted that Springfield appears to be protecting Haitian nationals from facing any real consequences for reckless driving.

"People that shouldn't be driving, they're out there and they're allowing them to drive," Duncan remarked.

Duncan told Rosas about a recent traffic stop he conducted involving a Haitian national.

"He didn't even have a license," he said.

According to Duncan, the driver was speeding through Tremont City, going 44 mph in a 25 mph zone.

He said it was the second time over a two-week period that he pulled the driver over and had the individual's car towed.

Rosas asked Duncan whether Springfield would have towed the vehicle in that instance.

"No," he replied.

Duncan speculated that Springfield may be softening or avoiding reckless driving consequences for Haitian nationals to protect them from deportation.

"If you get two misdemeanors, you are subject to be deported," he told Blaze News.

Duncan added that his access to Springfield's police radio frequency has been cut off since the city started attracting national attention over the impacts of the immigrant crisis.

"We were able to hear them on the radio. They have decided to go silent. We don't know what's going on in the city," Duncan said.

When asked why he believes the city has made it hard to communicate, Duncan speculated that the Springfield police turned off the ability for others to hear their radio communications to obstruct any outside monitoring of their actions and, thereby, having to answer for those actions.

Duncan noted that there was reportedly a recent threat at a school that he was unable to hear over the radio.

"I just caught wind of it from another chief that's right next to the city," he said.

Duncan explained that the city's leaders should have handled the influx of Haitian nationals differently.

"If they had taken the time, instead of worrying about the elites lining their pockets, and just took the time, this could have went so much smoother and been so much more beneficial to everybody involved," Duncan stated.

When asked how he believes the situation will turn out, he responded, "I really don't know what the end result will be. But right now, it's not good."

Blaze News attempted to reach out to the Springfield Police Division for comment multiple times, but the department did not answer its non-emergency phone line, which provides no option to leave a voicemail.

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