‘We need more lighting’: Lack of lighting in Northeast Columbia neighborhood raises safety concerns

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Northeast Columbia has seen a high volume of shootings in recent years, with police being dispatched to Rice Road 35 times already this year, which includes a pair of shots fired calls.

After covering multiple incidents in the area, one thing has stood out. The lack of lighting at night.  The City of Columbia has approximately 10,600 streetlights in its system, according to city spokesman Jason White. 

Under the city municipal code, street lights are required at each intersection of residential streets. However, street lighting is not required in undeveloped areas of Columbia where fewer than 12 vehicles or pedestrians use the road during the busiest nighttime hour. 

Some Northeast Columbia residents have raised concerns about the lack of lighting in the area. In 2024, officers responded to more than a dozen shots heard calls on Rice Road and eight shots fired calls, according to the Columbia Police Department's six-hour dispatch log. 

Improved street lighting can significantly reduce crime and should be considered a key component of crime-reduction strategies, according to a study cited by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The analysis reviewed 13 studies from the United States and United Kingdom and found that improved lighting was associated with a 21% decrease in crime in areas where upgrades were made, compared to similar control areas. The findings suggest that lighting is a feasible, low-cost tool to help deter criminal activity.

“This falls under a theory called target hardening. And so this is where we try to make it undesirable for,  you know, folks that are criminally inclined to commit crime in a space,” Seth Fallik, the department chair of UMKC’s Department of Criminology, told ABC 17 News. “More lit areas increase the likelihood that somebody will get caught.  And so  folks,  then tend to move on to other spaces  where there's a reduced likelihood they get caught.” 

Fallik added that a lack of lights can also hinder criminal investigations. 

“Particularly if the casings are not easily displayed, for example, like they're in tall grass or it's dark or if it's raining,  that piece of evidence may not be observable without light,” Fallik explained. “There's other things you can do,sweeps with metal. You can do all sorts of things to try to offset that deficit. But at the end of the day, you still got to know how it went down and pick up the piece of evidence. And if you can't see it, then that's problematic.” 

Jessamyn Miller has been living near Indian Hills Park for five years and says she loves taking walks throughout the day, and says there is more lighting near the intersections of Callaway Drive and Geyser Boulveard, but other areas in the neighborhood are lacking. 

“I love to walk at all times of day and night and early morning. It would be better if we could get more lighting. I think it would help support this into the community,” Miller said. 

Miller believes that improved lighting would encourage more people to get outside and enjoy the park as the weather gets warmer.

“There's a lot of foot traffic in the area for the buses that pick up people. So it's very well not lit over there,” Miller said. 

Crystal Walton has lived on Rice Road for seven years and said she has seen her fair share of incidents in the area, adding that she is scared to let her grandchildren play outside once it gets dark. 

“I would not let them play it play outside at night. I feel that we need more lighting in this area,” Walton said. 

Walton also believes lighting is not the only thing the area is lacking on Rice Road,  she would also like to see more increased patrols given the high volume of incidents in the area. 

“I also feel like there's not enough attention here because maybe because it's more blacks, that lives over in this area,” Walton said. 

In an email provided to ABC 17 News from the Columbia Police Department, Columbia Assistant Police Chief Lance Bolinger said crime scene investigators bring high-powered lights to assist with evidence collection during investigations. In some cases, the Columbia Fire Department is called in to provide additional lighting.

CFD spokesperson Katherine Rodgriguez told ABC 17 News in an email that the department has a strong working relationship with CPD. In addition to supporting them at scenes with lighting when requested, CPD also assists CFD regularly with traffic control, vehicle collisions and other emergency responses.

“In terms of lighting in public areas, we absolutely recognize how important it is for emergency response efforts,” Rodriguez wrote in an email to ABC 17 News. Rodriguez says that residents who notice issues with street lights or would like to request repairs can do so on the city’s website. Once on the website, residents need to select the “electric” category to submit a report.

The city of Columbia says that there are no projects planned that will affect the current street lighting in that area.  The project that is planned in that area is a "point-to-point project" that would not have an impact on the street lights' effectiveness.