Training continues for new CPD outreach officers

Although the Columbia Police Department’s Community Outreach Unit is still missing some officers, the team is already being active in connecting with neighbors.

Sergeant Mike Hestir, who heads the COU team, said they were hoping to have all six new officers trained by early to mid-February. However, personnel shortages in other departments has pushed their timeline back by about a month.

“What we’re trying to do is train these officers into more holistic approaches,” Hestir said. “We’re still going to stay in our lane and fill our law enforcement obligation, but our training will be more mentoring toward other community resources that could alleviate chronic problems with people and perhaps divert them to get help.”

Right now the COU team has four of its six officers in training. Hestir said the final two officers will be transferred at the beginning of March.

The six officers have already been assigned to an area of Columbia to patrol and build relationships with residents. These three areas include the central, north and east parts of town, which the city has identified as “Areas of Focus” in the 2016-2019 Strategic Plan.

There have been four shots fired incidents in Columbia since Jan. 31. Two incidents happened in the central area and one in each the north and east areas.

Hestir said that’s something the outreach unit hopes to find some resolution to.

“The neighbors that we’ve met of course they want the shots fired to go away and so do we,” he said. “The other thing we’re going to focus on is identifying those underlying drivers of those problems and try to get intervention before it blossoms into the negative shots fired type of events.”

Hestir said the four COU officers in training, including himself, have already been working to get out and build relationships with residents.

“Everyday we try to get out to talk to people,” he said.” I think that’s what’s been missing in law enforcement is we’ve lost contact with the community due to officers going to the next call to the next call.”

Over the past several weeks, Hestir said officers have been talking to residents, visiting schools and working with community organizations to plan events for these certain neighborhoods.

A large part of the Community Outreach Unit includes more than 100 community organizations, partners or leaders that can provide extra resources for the city’s Areas of Focus.

“Of course there’s some things cops can do, but there’s lots of things these partners and allies can do, and frankly, do better than we can as far as improving the quality of life for people.”