Bodie Drive shootings raise concerns

Police have found evidence of shootings along a residential street in north Columbia twice in less than a week.

Columbia police responded to a call of shots heard on Bodie Drive early March 10 then again late Saturday. This comes after police had responded to nine shots-heard and two shots-fired calls since November.

With the number of shootings rising again in the area, Second Ward Councilman Mike Trapp said he wants to propose a new strategy at Monday’s city council meeting.

Trapp is suggesting that a police camera be installed in the area temporarily. The idea is to get license plate numbers on camera when shots-fired calls come in.

Trapp had been pushing for the same temporary solution during past bouts of violence on the street.

“I had been pushing for that, and then we had 18 months to two years where the issue went away with good, old-fashioned community policing,” Trapp said Monday.

Trapp doesn’t believe the camera is the only solution, but that it will reduce the number of incidents.

“I don’t think they are a big part of the crime prevention puzzle, but for this particular problem it’s uniquely suited,” Trapp said. “People are less likely to drive and do shootings on Bodie Drive when they know their license plates are going to be run.”

Trapp said the camera would cost $40,000. He planned to bring up the idea at the council meeting Monday to see if the city can use council reserve funds for the camera. He also said the camera would not always have to be placed at the Bodie location.

Trapp hopes to have the camera operating by summer this year. “Summer is often a time when we see more of these incidents as the weather gets nicer, so I want to see if there is anything else we can do,” he said.

Patrol positions covering Second Ward beats in the Columbia Police Department’s Community Outreach Unit are currently vacant. Trapp said the previous officer in this position lived in the neighborhood, which provided significant results. “He lived in the neighborhood, he was assigned to that area, and had a take-home police car, and so it’s hard to duplicate that exact receipe,” Trapp said.

Trapp mentioned that he has spoken with memebers of the neighborhood and believes the residents are not the ones inciting the crimes.

The Columbia Police Department is also planning to build a new police substation at Range Line Street and International Drive, only a few steps away from Bodie Drive. “That’s going to give people pause before shooting in that area,” Trapp said.

Trapp said the substation should be finished in the fall. The station will also be discussed at Monday’s council meeting.