CPD welcomes an additional eight officers to the department

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Police Department welcomed eight new officers to the department on Saturday, according to a social media post.

The post states the individuals graduated from the Law Enforcement Training Institute's Summer 2024 Academy Oct. 24.

The additional officers mark a step toward filling a staffing gap that has impacted the department for some time.

Columbia resident Beatrice Stewart said she supports the progress being made, as well as the police department.

"I think as a social worker myself, obviously a huge supporter of law enforcement and just glad to see that we've had increases to our law enforcement staff," Stewart said. 

Another resident, Brad Stag, also said he thinks the addition is a positive.

"We totally support our police department here. We often call on their assistance here. They are responsive, and we know that they need all the backup help they can get," Stag said.

Although these new recruits have officially joined the department, they won't be patrolling Columbia's streets just yet. According to the post, the officers will begin orientation "within the next few weeks."

That will be followed by a 16-week field training program led by experienced officers — a critical final step in officially becoming an officer.

Columbia resident Topher Endress said he finds value in extensive training to allow officers to be able to better handle the community's needs.

"It is so important that people have proper training... being able to deal with that very diverse population that we have here in Columbia means that you have to be aware of encountering all kinds of possibilities and being aware of the possibilities of where those relationships might lead to," Endress said.

The department has made strides in addressing vacancies, which decreased from 38 at the start of 2024 to 27 by June, according to previous reporting. Endress believes the extra hands will make a real difference in community safety, leading to officers getting to the scene quicker.

"The longer that they sit engaging when they're not supposed to be, usually the more escalated and possibly violent the situation becomes," Endress said.