COLUMBIA — Agencies participating in a proactive enforcement detail in downtown Columbia over the weekend arrested 27 people, issued 57 criminal citations and conducted 202 traffic stops on Friday and Saturday, according to data released by the Columbia Police Department.
The Columbia Police Department, Boone County Sheriff's Office, University of Missouri Police Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol participated in the enforcement detail.
Across all agencies involved, there were about 27 law enforcement officers each night participating in the detail, according to CPD.
"Actually back in June we recognized we had increased incidents of violence downtown, so we actually increased patrols back in June," said Police Chief Jill Schlude. "Then in July we added another eight officers to the overnight shift, so we have even more availability for folks to be downtown."
Regarding the recent fatal shooting in downtown Columbia, Schlude said other agencies were willing to help patrol.
"After the incident on homecoming weekend we reached out to the other partners and said, 'hey we really need to flood downtown with some extra resources and get a handle on things,' and they obviously were fully supportive of that, and have been very helpful," Schlude said.
On Saturday night, UM System President Mun Choi and other university leaders led a walk in downtown Columbia drawing attention to safety concerns.
City council members did not attend the walk.
"I felt it was unnecessary," City Council Member Nick Foster said on Monday, "The police department keeps us well informed about what's going on."
Foster said members of city council are planning walks of their own.
"We've seen a reduction in gun crimes for instance over the last year, year over year. Some of the numbers we're seeing now and that have been used elsewhere are being used in a way that misunderstand their meaning," Foster said. "We've seen a significant spike in crimes against society. That spike is due to enforcement, not increased events. That means that police are being more proactive about some things that they haven't been able to be proactive before."
Schlude said CPD will meet with Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Boone County Sheriffs Office and MUPD to discuss how they will handle future weekends together.