Reports show CPD responded to over 140 calls at Claudell Lane since January; property managers looking to work with police
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia Police are investigating a shots-fired incident Thursday evening on Claudell Lane at the Columbia Square apartments. Just last Thursday, another shots-fired call was reported on the same street.
With the latest incidents included, the Columbia Police Department six-hour dispatch log shows police have responded to 148 calls on Claudell Lane so far in 2023.
Calls to Claudell Lane in 2023:
- Seven shots fired or heard calls
- 37 calls for 911 checks
- 32 calls for a disturbance
- Eight suspicious incidents, person or vehicle calls
On Thursday evening, a Columbia Police sergeant told ABC 17 news crews on the scene that police responded to multiple calls of shots fired. Several shell casings were found in the area along with some property damage to some of the buildings.
No injuries were reported and one person was in custody who officers suspected is responsible for the incident.
“We haven't seen anything like this on any of our properties, to be honest,” Robert Schock, the Senior Vice President and Director of Yarco Property Management said.
Yarco Property Management manages Columbia Square Apartments and other buildings on Claudell Lane. Just five hours before Thursday’s shooting, the local property owner and the company held a conference call over how to move forward. During that call, they discussed meeting with CPD.
“It's always been our policy to work with and cooperate with the police,” Schock added. “Take their suggestions they may have for us, share information that we can share with them, you know, and so forth in order to get back to a more quiet neighborhood-type situation.”
An increased police presence in the area could be one of the things brought up in that meeting, he added.
Management said they believe many of the people causing the incidents aren’t residents of Claudell or Columbia Square. Those applying for apartments undergo a credit and criminal background check before approval, Schock said.
“They may have some connection to somebody that lives there,” Schock said. “But as usual, a lot of these issues are more related to, it's not the person that lives there, it's their guest or people that have other agendas that come from outside the property.”
According to the resident criteria page of Columbia Square Apartment’s 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.
“We want good residents, just as much as we want to be good landlords, but somewhere along the way, things can change,” Schock said. “All of a sudden there's all this activity in and around these apartments… that affects the safety and security of the other 127 families who live there.”
