If meth has spurred a serious crime wave across rural America, as is often claimed in newspaper editorials, it hasn’t hit Springfield. Crime is low here, astonishingly so given the city’s standing as a major center for meth manufacturing. On average, about a half dozen murders are committed each year within the city limits, which is about half the national average for a place its size. Armed robbery is about a third of what it is in the rest of the country. The only crime categories in which Springfield exceeds the national average are burglary and property crimes, which local police blame on meth addicts looking to feed their habit.