Columbia City Council to talk police department staffing

On Monday night, the Columbia City Council will take up the issue of police department staffing.

CPD is asking the council to approve thousands of dollars to fund a staffing optimization study.

The study would give the police department ideas on how to most effectively use its current number of officers.

The department is short-staffed, and CPD is asking the city council for $40,000 to hire a consulting firm to conduct the study.

“We’re always looking for ways since we have an understaffed police department. How can we maximize and best use those resources, but you really don’t know what you don’t know, so bringing in an outside consultant to kind of look at the operation from top to bottom makes sense to me,” said 2nd Ward Councilman Michael Trapp.

The money to pay for the study would come from the asset forfeiture fund, which is from federal law enforcement activities.

The funds usually go to law enforcement and can only be used for a one-time purchase, such as training, education, or equipment.