Greene County Hail Damages 29 Republic Police Vehicles

A hailstorm on April 28 damaged patrol vehicles across Greene County, and Republic Police said 29 of its cars were hit. Greene County deputies heard the hail coming over radios and rushed vehicles into a garage, but Deputy Jonah Beadles said the storm moved too quickly to prevent widespread fleet damage.

Jonah Beadles On Greene County

Beadles said the department suffered across its fleet. "We had extensive damage across our fleet," he said, adding, "I even know that, as I heard on the radio as it was first coming into our area, that I could hear it on the radio as patrol deputies were out driving around."

He said the storm hit hard and fast. "And it came fast, and we moved what we could indoors. But, unfortunately, we just had catastrophic widespread damage," he said. Beadles also said, "And I know Springfield and Highway Patrol were dealing with the same."

Republic Police Vehicles

Republic Police Lieutenant Zach Richards said the department had hail damage on three brand-new vehicles and a total of 29 damaged vehicles. He said the department has about 32 vehicles, leaving only a small number untouched. "We had 12 windshields broken out. We had two rear windshields broken out, which we’ve already been able to get those two fixed," Richards said.

Richards said repairs moved quickly after the storm. "Between yesterday and today, our window service technicians were in promptly. And they were great to work with, supporting the community, as I know they’re very stressed. And getting a lot of, at least, our windshields and windows and stuff were prepared so that we could get back on the road and be effective for the community," he said.

Springfield Police Damage

Springfield Police reported two totaled vehicles and six other vehicles with broken windshields after the hailstorm. Richards said the damage was not affecting Republic operations. "Right now, it’s not affecting our operations whatsoever. We’re still handling all the calls as normal. And we’ll just get the cars in and get them fixed as we can," he said.

For departments that rely on daily patrol cars, the immediate task is repair and replacement, not explanation. Republic already had two rear windshields fixed, and the remaining work now centers on getting the rest of the damaged fleet back on the road.