Street Crimes Unit works to reduce violent crime
CPD created the unit to deal with more demanding investigations.
Published Sept. 4, 2009
Due to a high number of violent crimes in 2007, Columbia Police Department came together and created the Street Crimes Unit to deal with more demanding cases and investigations. CPD Sgt. Brian Richenberger supervises the unit that has been active for little more than a year.
"Our officers are doing a little bit more than the average patrol officer has time to do," Richenberger said. "That's why they're so effective."
The main focus of the Street Crimes Unit is to apprehend those who commit crimes and not the law-abiding people who live in the high-crime areas, a city of Columbia news release stated. The four-officer team focuses on violent crimes and drug activity in Columbia, Richenberger said.
"We're not answering (911) calls so to speak but actively hunting down criminals and going into hot-spot areas," Richenberger said.
During the 2007 year, another unit, called the Violent Crimes Task Force, was created out of CPD, the MU Police Department, Boone Country Sherriff's Department and the FBI, the news release stated. The task force operated as long as it could before the officers had to return to their regular assignments.
It arrested more than 40 people for felony violations, cleared several high-profile violent crimes, seized three firearms and made more than 100 traffic stops, the news release stated.
The task force operated during December 2007 and disbanded when officers had to return to their regular assignments, the news release stated. The following summer, the CPD Street Crimes Unit was created. Richenberger said the Unit has been active since July 28 of last year.
"We've been doing what we've intended to do," Richenberger said. "All the officers are being proactive."
The news release also stated the best way to deal with violent crimes is responding quickly to them if they are in the same area. These areas have become known as hot spots of enforcement for the Street Crimes Unit.
Aside from violent crime, the unit will not be responsible for traffic enforcement and tickets will rarely be given for minor violations, the news release stated.
"Certainly, the criminals won't be happy with this, but that's what we want," Mayor Darwin Hindman said in the news release. "I think the Street Crimes Unit sends a message that Columbia is serious about dealing with this issue."
The news release stated the unit could cost around $400,000, and at the time of the unit's creation, $125,000 was available.
"The rest will come from saving efficiencies, including fuel conservation," City Manager Bill Watkins stated in the news release.
Watkins also said the unit is designed to have an immediate impact on violent crime and credits former CPD Chief Randy Boehm for pulling the proposal together.
"We've been going pretty much as planned," Richenberger said. "We've taken some very bad guys off the street."