CPD to increase impaired driving laws over graduation weekend

The Columbia Police Department increase enforcement of impaired driving laws during the University of Missouri’s graduation weekend.

“It’s simply not worth taking the chance by driving intoxicated when it is easy to hand your keys over to a sober person or call a taxi or use a ride-hailing service to safely get you where you need to be,” interim Police Chief Geoff Jones said in a news release.

One downtown business owner said he is not concerned fewer people will visit the downtown area despite a shooting over the weekend in downtown Columbia.

“It’s families and celebrations, so it’s a lot different than your typical weekend out with people getting wild,” Candy Factory owner Mike Atkinson said.

More than 5,400 students are expected to graduate from the University of Missouri this weekend.

A fifth person was arrested on Wednesday in relation to the shooting that left one person in the hospital Saturday morning.

But Atkinson said he is happy about the possibility of more people over the weekend. He said the store typically gets more visitors over the weekend from students bringing their families to get chocolate.

“We definitely prepare a little bit more,” he said.

The store can make chocolates specific to which college or high school a student is graduating from. But, he said they still have one problem.

“Staffing is fun because a lot of the times our staff will be graduating,” he said.

Despite issues with staffing, he said he is ready for the weekend.

ABC 17 News reached out to CPD about any plans for keeping the downtown area safe over the weekend, but the department responded by sending its news release on impaired driving enforcement.