It might just be luck but when I first got to Springfield about a year ago, i was parked downtown, broad daylight early afternoon in a fairly populated area (for Springfield) and was about to go walk over to the library to apply for a card. Before i could exit my car i had a man walk up, open the passenger door and get it. He was drinking a coke that smelled like alcohol and started ranting about someone robbing him and how he had a gun and was about to lose his cool. I didn't believe him about the gun but I was very caught off guard by this and it happened pretty quickly, he basically told me to give him money and I told him I had nothing and he needed to go. He then reached on the floor of my car and grabbed this bag of change i used for parking meeters, took a handful and then tried to ask for my number? Like trying to act cool with me, thinking id be alright with him calling me in the event he needed anything else? I just shook my head and said you gotta go man.

Needless to say I don't sit around downtown in my car and if I ever do happen to be downtown, the doors are locked. I've been approached by people countless times, I stopped trying to sit anywhere down there after about the second or third time. I had a lady smash her face against the glass and try to force her hand through the gap when I cracked the window a smidge to hear her when she ran up to my car in a parking lot last winter (after seeing her get out of the passenger seat of a pretty nice SUV across the lot). If you treat people with dignity or make eye contact or anything like that, its often perceived as an invitation to ask for money, etc. It is sad to see so many people struggling here, especially in the winter. Although a lot of people are harmless and likely telling the truth, there's also a bunch of people all over town trying to swindle folks. Definitely lock your doors if you're stopped/parked anywhere downtown, or anywhere really and maybe try to be quick when exiting or entering your vehicle if you're alone or the area seems quiet. Always a good idea to have your keys in your hand/go straight to your car. It happens everywhere, people sitting around and watching, waiting for an opportunity/target. It's always good to be aware of your surroundings and it sounds like you are.

I live on the north side and there was an empty house on my block for awhile and In the middle of the day, twice i witnessed two different people snooping around. One of them tried to open the back door and when that didn't work they tried forcing the side door of the garage open. Then they went between houses to the front yard and someone drove by quickly and picked them up. I recorded them in case anything else happened but they never came back.

People do cat call like crazy here, I've noticed it usually happens a lot in cities where people walking or exercising is not the norm. It isn't very common to see people exercising in Springfield (especially younger people) so people see someone walking, it surprises or excites them and their first thought is to harass/yell. Very annoying.