CPD will stop responding to lockouts starting in January

Columbia Police officers will not respond to calls where a person has locked themselves out of a residence or a vehicle starting Jan. 1, 2018.

CPD will only respond if there are emergency circumstances involved with the lockout.

“In 2017, over 250 vehicle and residential lockouts were dispatched to Columbia Police officers. In most cases this resulted in the officer contacting a locksmith for the citizen. “Now, when a dispatcher receives a lockout call, they will provide the caller with the phone number for the on-call locksmith. An officer would only be dispatched if emergency circumstances exist, such as a child being locked inside,” says an official release by CPD.

There will now be an on-call locksmith to help when a lockout happens.

“We are trying to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our officers by freeing them up from some of these calls,” says Assistant Chief Jeremiah Hunter, Commander of the Patrol Bureau.