Columbia considering consultant to help form proposed Office of Violence Prevention

Editor's note: Hanneken's name has been corrected.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia is leaning toward hiring a consultant to help set up the mayor's proposed Office of Violence Prevention.

Deputy City Manager Matt Unrein told ABC 17 News the city manager's office was "being led to an idea" of bringing on a consultant to advise them of possible models to create the new office.

Unrein said the process would include reviewing the groups and resources in town that are working on violence prevention and suggesting ways the government could start its own office.

Mayor Barbara Buffaloe suggested in October that the city should create the office after a 3-year-old was shot and killed in Columbia on Sept. 24. Since that announcement of the office, seven homicides have taken place in Columbia. Five of them have occurred since the January, compared to just one homicide in the first four months of 2023.

Violent crime, overall, is down in the first four months of 2024 compared last year. The Missouri State Highway Patrol's database shows 140 violent crimes in Columbia from January-April of this year, while the same time in 2023 had 159. The dataset says “violent crime” consists of murder (consisting of murder and non-negligent manslaughter), robbery, aggravated assault and rape. Victims are always individuals and one crime will be counted for each victim.

The city manager's office has studied several violence-prevention offices around the country, Unrein said. The office has $100,000 budgeted to hire a consultant, but Unrein said it may not take that much money for the work. Unrein said City Manager De'Carlon Seewood is likely to use his authority to hire a consultant, which would speed up the process. The city also has the option to put it out for bid.

Columbia joined the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform to connect with other cities working on the same project. Unrein said a consultant would help the city create something that addresses specific problems in Columbia.

"We want something’s that lasting, that’s going to change those statistics, that’s going to change someone’s life, that’s going to make a difference in our neighborhoods," Unrein said.

Buffaloe told ABC 17 News on Wednesday that she expects the consultant to perform a needs assessment. She said similar work was done to help establish the goals and mission of the Office of Sustainability, which Buffaloe ran for many years in the city.

“I obviously want to see movement on this, and I think we’ve been asking the city manager to provide more frequent updates on where they are," Buffaloe said. "Because in a day-to-day work that the city does, it’s not always something that rises to the top in conversations with us.”

The Columbia City Council has considered bringing in an outside group to help with violence prevention for years. Buffaloe said the current proposal fits into what the council requested with a needs assessment.

"When we talk about this, it's really about making sure that the community is working with the city, and that we're working for the community," Buffaloe said.

Unrein said he works closely with Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude on the topic, as well. Schlude told ABC 17 News over email that policing plays a part in taking on the issue.

"I think the keys to addressing community violence are proactive engagement, collaborative partnerships, and emphasizing prevention over reaction," Schlude said. "Policing certainly has a role to play in that equation. In my experience and research on the topic a focused deterrence model appears to be a recurring theme and best practice. I am having conversations with our partners as well as the City Manager, Deputy City Manager and the Mayor about that effort and how it can support the overall effort." 

Dan Hanneken -- director of the nonprofit In2Action, which aims to reduce prison recidivism -- said a consultant could be a good resource for the city. A review of what Columbia has and how other cities model their offices could help the city find a model that works.

"I think it has the potential to be incredibly beneficial, and it can potentially help us get us to where we want to go a lot quicker, than if we just go at it with a trial-and-error type mindset," Hanneken said.

In2Action is one of five groups in Columbia that received money from the city through the American Rescue Plan Act in 2023.

In2Action plans to use $550,000 to expand its Just One Respite House on Eastwood Drive, which offers people a safe place to temporarily sober up from drugs. Hanneken said his group's niche -- keeping people just released from prison from going back to it -- is one part of the puzzle in trying to prevent violent crime. He also said it would take a variety of groups and services to help people avoid violent acts.

"It’s going to take a lot of different partners," Hanneken said. "There’s a lot of moving pieces when it comes to community violence. There’s no one-size-fits-all (solution), there’s no one-stop-shop for who’s going to do it."

Buffaloe and Hanneken said the proposed office could help area violence-prevention groups communicate with each other and stay aware of each other's work. Hanneken said the groups in town are good at what they do, but can often be busy with their work.

“Who’s going to be over all of this and can look at it from a 10,000-foot level and help us who are on the ground doing the work connect all the dots?” Hanneken said.