Boone County Sheriff’s Office reports decline in violent crimes, Columbia trends upward
Columbia, Mo. (KMIZ)
Despite an increase in violent crime in Columbia, the Boone County Sheriff’s has reported a reduction in violent crime for the second consecutive year.
Data from the Missouri State Highway Patrol shows the Boone County Sheriff’s Office reported 76 violent crimes. Firearms and “dangerous weapons” made up 52% of those crimes.
It marks the second consecutive year that the Boone County Sheriff’s Office has reported a decrease in violent crimes. In 2023 87 violent crimes were reported which was 36 fewer than the 123 reported in 2022.
According to MSHP's website, "violent crime" consists of murder, robbery, aggravated assault and rape.
While the Boone County Sheriff’s Office reported a decrease in 2024, the three largest cities in the county had mixed results from a year ago. Violent crime in Columbia increased from 514 in 2023 to 569 in 2024. Meanwhile, Centralia police reported just two violent crimes this year, which was one fewer than 2023. Ashland saw the number of violent crimes reported increased from six to 10.
Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson said the overall number of referrals his office has received has remained flat compared to recent years.
However, Johnson said there has been a substantial increase in the number of felony assault referrals during the past decade. Johnson believes some of this is because of a statutory change that upgraded some assaults that would have been misdemeanors into felonies. However, he added that the numbers have continued to increase since the change was made.
“In 2017, the General Assembly revamped the whole criminal code. One of the things they changed was that they made assault third a felony. Assault in the third degree is now if you cause physical injury,” Johnson said. “In the past, that would have been a misdemeanor and it would be a felony if you had caused serious physical injury. Now physical injuries are enough to be a felony. That could include something like a bloody nose or a black eye, even.”
Johnson said there has also been a substantial increase in the number of homicide referrals. Columbia saw an increase in murder cases, with 13 people killed in homicides this year. Seven people died in homicides in 2023. Boone County only reported two murders in 2024 and hasn’t had more than three since 2021 (6). Columbia's jurisdiction is not included in Boone County's statistics.
According to Johnson, the volume of homicide cases is the most significant challenge his office faces.
“In my experience, historically, most of our homicides were related to drug robberies," Johnson said. "Years ago, we maybe would have four or five homicides pending at a time, sometimes even just one homicide pending. Now, we routinely have over 50 homicide cases. Part of that is because those cases are so complicated and take a long time to resolve.”
Johnson also noted an increase in juvenile cases referred to his office.
The Boone County Sheriff's Office reported that 32 of the 183 people arrested for violent crimes were between the ages of 10-17, while 29 were between the ages of 18-24. The Columbia Police Department reported 184 of its 648 arrestees for violent crimes were between the ages of 10-17.
