Columbia Police Department vacancies skew violation statistics
Traffic violations have decreased during the last few months.
Published Feb. 9, 2009
Vacancies in the Columbia Police Department have affected the traffic violation statistics for the last few months, CPD Capt. Zim Schwartze said.
The declining economy has left CPD struggling to fill certain openings, especially in the traffic unit. Schwartze named the vacancies as one of the reasons for a 14.5 percent decline in traffic tickets filed in Boone County in the last year.
"Traffic violations filed in municipal court are down," Schwartze said. "There could be variety of reasons, but in our police department within the first eight months I was down one traffic officer in the unit and since November I've been down one motorcycle officer."
With losses in the traffic unit, which is responsible for writing tickets, a decline is inevitable. Additionally, calls for service increased this year in the police department. Officers are spread thin over various tasks, Schwartze said.
With fewer officers issuing tickets, the decline might not stem from safer driving, but rather a struggle to patrol all areas.
"When you have someone out of that position it affects our numbers," Schwartze said. "The primary responsibility of motorcycle officers is to write tickets. And that's one of the main responsibilities of traffic officers."
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported speeding violations decreased 8.7 percent in 2008. Similarly, violent crime decreased 36 percent in 2008 according to crime statistics from CPD.
CPD's preliminary 2008 statistics report, published Thursday, reported an 18.9 percent increase in property crimes from 2007 to 2008. Property crimes include burglary, larceny and auto theft.
CPD Interim Police Chief Tom Dresner attributed the rise to a bad economy coupled with a growing population in a news release Thursday.
Police also stress the importance of simple measures to help prevent property crimes including locked doors, closed windows and staying in well-lit areas at night.
"Make eye contact with people, see what's going on and be very aware of your surroundings," CPD officer Jessica Haden said.
The general trend in Columbia is decreasing violent crime but rising property crime rates. In 2008, the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program showed a 3.5 percent decrease in violent crime but a 2.5 percent decrease in property crime, unlike Columbia. The Midwest, similarly, experienced a 6 percent decrease in violent crime and a 4.7 percent decrease in property crime.
--Armeen Mistry,
staff writer