CPD sergeant awarded for Cut Throat gang investigation

Jones was recognized for his work in the Narcotics Unit.

By Caitlin Jones

Published Nov. 6, 2009

Columbia Police Department Sgt. Geoff Jones received the Midwest Gang Investigators Association Award for Excellence at its Annual Street Gang Training Conference in Springfield, Mo.

Jones, who was a detective in the department's Narcotics Unit at the time, was nominated for the award for his outstanding work in the criminal investigation of a violent Columbia area street gang, the Cut Throats, a CPD news release stated. Jones led the investigation and worked closely with the FBI on this investigation.

"Geoff Jones has conducted the highest quality narcotics investigations ever since he joined the unit," CPD Deputy Chief of Police Tom Dresner said in the news release. "The work he did on the Cut Throat gang investigation in cooperation with the FBI was one of the highlights of his career, and yet, what we've come to find commonplace as his work product. That's why it was so easy to promote Geoff to sergeant and have him now supervise the unit he so stood out in as a detective. "

According to the news release, this investigation spanned 18 months and involved numerous gang members and their associates who were involved in distribution of narcotics and numerous violent assaults in the area. Jones received the award on Sept. 23.

As a result of the investigation, the United States Attorney's Office was able to secure federal indictment of 16 people, the release stated. To date, all 16 have pleaded guilty.

"Now, we are awaiting sentencing and expect these individuals to be off the streets of Columbia for many years to come," CPD spokeswoman Jessie Haden said in an e-mail.

The government filed motions to detain all defendants who were arrested without bond, an attorney's office news release stated. The motion alleges the Cut Throats are frequently armed and trade firearms among themselves. The activities of the Cut Throats have allegedly involved shootings, including three that happened in public places occupied predominantly by ordinary citizens who were not involved in the allegedly illegal activities of the Cut Throats or its competitors.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Larry Miller and Anthony P. Gonzalez are prosecuting this case, the attorney's office news release stated. The investigation was a joint effort from the FBI, CPD, Boone County Prosecutor's Office, Boone County Sheriff's Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri Department of Corrections.

According to the FBI 2009 National Gang Assessment posted on the FBI's official Web site, more than 5,800 gangs with approximately 222,400 members are criminally active in the central region of the U.S.

The FBI assessment stated according to local law enforcement officials, gangs are responsible for as much as 50 percent of the crime in some locations.

Jones' criminal investigation into the Cut Throats not only cleared up numerous drug and weapons cases, but also involved solving three drive-by shootings, which occurred in Columbia between June 2007 and May 2008, the CPD news release stated.

"Chief (Kenneth) Burton and I are excited about what Geoff will bring to the table as he provides supervision of the Narcotics Unit," Dresner said in the release. "We are very proud of this award for Geoff and the Columbia Police Department."