University of Missouri, Columbia police working together to increase downtown safety

The University of Missouri says it's continuing to make safety a top priority for people on and around campus.

UM System President Mun Choi said during a news conference Thursday after a meeting of the board of curators that leaders at the University of Missouri and the Columbia Police Department are working to increase patrols downtown after a violent weekend that saw five people shot.

Choi said criminals need to know that Columbia isn't a place for gunplay.

Mayor Barbara Buffalo said she called a meeting with CPD and MU to figure out ways to work together.

Choi said the University of Missouri is a safe campus, and safety is a high priority for everyone. He noted there have been two incidents involving guns near campus so far this year and stressed the importance of surveillance cameras to hold people accountable.

"I believe that the actions that we have taken as a university, as well as the city, have helped in reducing the number of incidents that occur," Choi said.

MU sent out alerts over the weekend of the shootings and the initial one had an error and did not have the location. Choi said the university is re-evaluating how it alerts the campus and making some changes.

CPD Assistant Chief Mark Fitzgerald said the department uses overtime to staff extra officers downtown, and some of those officers were among the first to respond to a shooting downtown on March 30.

"We will be continuing this downtown overtime detail going forward into the foreseeable future," Fitzgerald wrote in response to emailed questions.