Columbia Police Department outlines ongoing efforts to enhance downtown safety

In an effort to provide accurate information to the community, we are providing additional details in response to multiple inquiries regarding downtown safety. Increased staffing over the past year has allowed the Columbia Police Department (CPD) to dedicate more officers to prevention strategies and proactive enforcement designed to create a safer environment for residents and visitors downtown.

Downtown staffing

On most Friday and Saturday nights, nearly half of CPD's on-duty officers are reallocated downtown. This fall, CPD has deployed additional officers during University of Missouri home football weekends on overtime assignments. As a result, resources dedicated to downtown on weekend nights after 10 p.m. are approximately double what they were in recent years. Last weekend there were approximately 11 officers in the downtown area.

Officers assigned to the downtown area are engaging in proactive enforcement of crimes that data shows are often precursors to violence. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to address safety concerns before they escalate. The number of officers that are available to assist downtown is always subject to change as calls for service throughout the city have an impact on police resources.

Coordinated city efforts

In addition to enforcement, CPD has been working with other City departments to address safety challenges through traffic and crowd management. Recent initiatives include:

• Traffic flow improvements: On Sept. 19 and 20, CPD partnered with Public Works to test rideshare pull-off zones by temporarily blocking metered parking.
  
• Rideshare partnerships: In early September, CPD began working with Uber and Lyft to test guiding customers to designated pickup zones during high-traffic times. Our planned test date is Oct. 10 and 11.
  
• Food vendor oversight: Since mid September, CPD has been coordinating with the Columbia/Boone County Health Department to address public health and crowd control concerns related to late-night food vending. Proactive education of vendors by the health department will begin Oct. 4.
  

These initiatives are aimed at reducing congestion and improving overall safety for downtown residents and visitors.

Additional resources

Over the past week, CPD has communicated with state and local law enforcement partners. The University of Missouri Police Department, Boone County Sheriff's Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol have committed to providing additional uniformed officers downtown during upcoming weekends.

While current resources do not allow for a full-time dedicated downtown unit, CPD is temporarily reassigning a patrol sergeant to focus full-time on overnight downtown operations. This role will coordinate patrol units, overtime officers and partner agency resources to ensure continuity and effectiveness. The sergeant will serve as a central point of coordination for police resources to keep downtown enforcement efforts consistent.

Collectively, this enlarged presence will help address ordinance and state statute violations with an overall goal of increasing police visibility and safety of those downtown.

Commitment to the community

"As our staffing has grown, we've been able to place more officers where they are most needed, particularly in our downtown area," said Police Chief Jill Schlude. "We recognize that creating a safe environment requires more than enforcement, which is why we are working with other City departments and law enforcement partners to address the full range of issues affecting our community."

The Columbia Police Department will continue balancing available resources with the needs of the community, maintaining a strong focus on safety, prevention, and collective problem-solving.

City of Columbia Vision
Columbia is the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play.

City of Columbia Mission
To serve the public equitably through democratic, transparent and efficient government.