Four months into 2021, the Parsons Police Department is attempting to identify and address three of its most significant policing challenges.

In a post to the department's website, Parsons police chief Robert Spinks identified the three most significant policing challenges his department is currently facing. Those include domestic violence, the number one felony in the town; drugs, and mental illness. Spinks wrote he believes the state has failed to provide sufficient in-patient resources and medical resources to address addiction and mental health.

Spinks also wrote about the department's new K-9 recruit, a 20-month old Belgium Malinois named Karim. The dog is trained in drug detection and tracking, and was purchased through "generous" community donations.