Columbia Square area remains on Office of Violence Prevention’s radar; CPD responds to more than 400 calls this year

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Claudell Lane in northwest Columbia has been a hotspot for crime through the first week of November, particularly centered around the 1000 block of Columbia Square Apartments, according to the Columbia Police Department's dispatch log.

Columbia police are investigating a shots-fired incident that left three homes and two vehicles damaged Sunday morning, and was connected to a search warrant served in the area Sunday night.

On the same street last Tuesday night, another shots-fired call led officers to arrest a man who allegedly fired three shots into the air during an argument. No injuries or property damage were reported in that incident.

Including the latest incidents, the CPD dispatch log shows police have responded to 419 calls on Claudell Lane so far in 2026. That included three calls for shots fired or heard, six for an assault and 104 for a disturbance.

The city's Office of Violence Prevention recognizes a crime pattern in the area, which had been on the office's radar before this year.

"The Claudell/Columbia Square area has been identified years prior and currently when we look at our stressor GIS mapping and past strategic area plans," Office of Violence Prevention Administrator D'Markus Thomas-Brown wrote in a text message. "The OVP coordinator position will be tasked at gathering CBOs [community-based organizations] to look into crisis management into this area and others."

Yarco Property Management manages Columbia Square Apartments and other buildings on Claudell Lane. After a high volume of 911 calls was reported in the area in 2023, management told ABC 17 News they believed many of the people causing the incidents weren’t residents of Claudell or Columbia Square, as those applying for apartments undergo a credit and criminal background check before approval.

According to the resident criteria page of Columbia Square Apartments' website, the area falls under Section 8 and low-income housing. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development gives owners the ability to end that tenancy or revoke that Section 8 voucher for any type of criminal activity disturbing the “peace” of other residents in the area.