Columbia City Council to consider community policing resolution

At the request of Councilmember Ian Thomas, the Columbia City Council will consider a resolution Tuesday that would direct the city manager to create a plan to fully adopt a community policing philosophy by the Columbia Police Department.

If adopted, City Manager Mike Matthes would design “a citywide Community-Oriented Policing program” and present it to council by June 30.

The draft of the resolution suggests that current police policy would need to be changed in order to complement a community-oriented strategy of policing.

If the resolution passes, the city manager’s plan would need to include “a transition plan, timeline, and budget for modifying current CPD policies, procedures, and operations and implementing the new program.”

For a link to the agenda of the meeting, which is Tuesday at 7 p.m., click here. The item is labeled “REP5-18.”

The resolution, which was drafted by council members Ian Thomas, Clyde Ruffin and Michael Trapp, follows a months-long listening tour where city officials attended multiple community meetings hosted by the local NAACP chapter. For previous reports on those meetings click here, here and here.