University of Missouri, City of Columbia release joint list of crime-fighting plans
Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Auditing criminal cases arising from incidents downtown and adding county deputies and state troopers to patrol shifts are among the plans Columbia and University of Missouri leaders have for reducing crime.
MU and the City of Columbia on Wednesday put out a list of actions they’re taking to make downtown safer after a shooting over homecoming weekend killed a woman and hurt two other innocent bystanders. A Florida man has been charged with murder for allegedly firing 11 shots into a crowd.
The action plan includes:
Increase staffing at the Columbia Police Department and MUPD.
CPD and MUPD will continue the increase in foot patrol in the downtown region during peak weekend hours.
Missouri Department of Highway Patrol will provide troopers to patrol downtown during peak hours of the weekend.
Boone County Sheriff Dwayne Carey will also provide additional deputies to patrol downtown Columbia.
Meet with Western District of Missouri Attorney Matt Price to discuss federal resources and other programs to improve public safety.
Meet with Gov. Mike Kehoe to discuss state resources and other programs to improve safety.
Support the “Ride Home” program that returns people who come to the city for health care to their home community outside of Boone County.
Request that every downtown business owner complete a letter of enforcement.
Conduct a review of city ordinances to improve crowd control and safety – especially downtown. Immediate actions will be taken when appropriate.
Conduct a review of downtown to address environmental issues, including lighting, business hours of operation, individuals sleeping on or blocking sidewalks and traffic flow for vehicles. Immediate actions will be taken when appropriate.
Conduct an internal audit of all cases handled by the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office involving weapons offenses downtown as well as trespass, peace disturbance, and misdemeanor assault cases county-wide to ensure these offenses are being prosecuted consistently, effectively and in alignment with office goals and community safety priorities. Immediate actions will be taken when appropriate.
University of Missouri System President Mun Choi wrote a letter to city and county leaders after the shooting early Saturday, urging action and saying he planned to get Kehoe involved. City officials have responded with the idea of a task force and other plans, including increased patrols.
Records obtained by ABC 17 News show a string of emails that Choi sent to city leaders that led up to the list released to the public. Most of Choi’s proposed action items made it into the final plan.
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Two changes of note include adding increased staffing for MUPD as well as CPD, and dropping a line that read “arrest individuals that accost or harass vehicle owners.”
Newly appointed U.S. Attorney Matthew Price also responded to Choi, saying his office is eager to meet with Columbia leaders about federal resources to address what he called an “emerging crisis.” Emails also show that Choi spoke with Price on a call on Sept. 29.
As part of the plan, the city will audit downtown weapons cases from the Boone County prosecutor’s office.
“We suggested that as something we could do right away to make sure that we don’t have any cases that are slipping through the cracks,” Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson said. “It’s not just violent crime that we’re looking at. It’s also a serious and ongoing concern that we have a lot of mental health-related crime, especially in the downtown area.”
The city is also asking local businesses to sign “letters of enforcement” allowing police to act on trespassing issues.
“For trespassing, only the person who owns the property can kick somebody off of the property and can request them to leave,” Johnson said. “The letter of enforcement authorizes somebody else to do that on your behalf.”
Choi has also invited city leaders to walk with him downtown late Saturday night into Sunday.