Street Crimes Unit proposed

By Jewels Phraner

Published March 18, 2008

Monday night, the Columbia City Council approved a report created by the Columbia Violent Crimes Task Force, which might lead to the approval of a four-person, full-time Street Crimes Unit.

The report, requested by the City Council at the inception of the task force, suggested the creation of a full-time Street Crimes Unit. The Unit would include four police officers — each with yearly salaries of about $64,000, including benefits, and two black and white police cars — which cost about $45,000 each. The report said the total cost would be $347,820 for its first year of operation. The numbers given in the report total about $345,000, but the report gave no reason for extra $2,000 expenditure.

Fifth Ward City Councilwoman Laura Nauser said at the Monday night meeting she is the one who requested the report.

“I whole heartedly support this unit,” she said. “I hope to see this in the 2009 budget process.”

The 12-person task force that submitted the report was created in December 2007 due to a “surge in violent crimes” near the end of last year, the report stated.

Though the task force was temporary, during its month of operation the unit made more than 40 arrests, seized three firearms and cleared several high-profile violent crimes, the report stated.

“With the assistance of our local law enforcement partners, the primary success of this operation can be attributed to arresting violent criminals before they can victimize again,” the report stated.

The task force had to disband to return to their agencies and units because the agencies involved didn’t have the necessary resources to replace the officers assigned to the task force.

Columbia Police Department Chief Randy Boehm said the report was generated from the idea that the task force would be able to restart occasionally.

He said though that was an option in rare circumstances, CPD had to “be careful what they asked of other agencies,” because the task force involved agencies from the Boone County Sheriff’s Department, MU Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as the Columbia Police Department.

The proposed Street Crime Unit would have 66 percent fewer officers than the task force, but according to the report, the unit would have a “definite impact on both the public perception in regards to crime and our (the city’s) response to the increased violent crimes in Columbia.”

The unit would have a specific set of duties including reducing “open-air” drug dealing, assisting to apprehend felony suspects and responding to crime trends such as home invasions.

City Manager Bill Watkins said in a handwritten note on the report that the Street Crimes Unit will be a priority request during discussions for fiscal year 2009.