Columbia city council set to discuss crime scene investigator position

Columbia’s city council is expected to discuss removing a police administration position to make room for a new crime scene investigator at Tuesday night’s meeting.

The proposal claims adding a civilian investigator will allow officers to be more efficient with their time.

The police department is hopeful there will be plenty of applicants for the position due to Columbia College’s forensic science program.

The request comes after the rise in homicides in 2017 reached nine.

Police and city leaders said the department is understaffed, so making sure their resources are used efficiently is essential.

“There are things that you just need a person to respond to, so when you have a limited number of people, it creates an inherent strain,” council member Michael Trapp said. “We’re keeping our eyes open to make improvements, but we need more resources. I think that’s undeniable.”

The shooting death that occurred Monday morning at Waffle House marked the first homicide of 2018.