Tagged: Columbia crime

If Columbia seems less dangerous these days, there may be a reason. Data from The Columbia Police Department show that crime rates have decreased since 2011 with the exception to reported rape and sexual assaults.

Columbia police have looked at past crimes and trends in the city, and have adapted to prevent future crimes. Columbia Police Department Spokesperson Latisha Stroer recalls recent changes.

“We had some violence that occurred in and around Douglas Park,” Stroer said. “We had two-man units placed there to help this relationship with the community and that area.”

Columbia Police Chief Ken Burton discussed the local crime rate and answered questions at the Boone County Democratic Muleskinners club meeting Friday.

The murders of three Columbia, Mo. men last spring, two of whom were teenagers, sparked outrage from concerned residents and lead to an assessment of the effectiveness of at-risk youth crime prevention programs.

It’s been six months since the shootings, and the community has had time to heal and reflect on the meaning of this tragedy.

39 year-old Lamont Sargent was shot and killed in March, and within a month, two 17-year-old Columbia residents, DeAudre Johnson and Bryan Rankin were also murdered.