Look for a more visible police presence soon in Columbia parks and along trails, in response to concerns from residents.
City manager De’Carlon Seewood spoke to 75 business leaders and elected officials at Wednesday’s Columbia Regional Economic Development Incorporated (REDI) board meeting at Scheppers Distributing. Mr. Seewood tells 939 the Eagle that you should let authorities know if you have concerns you see in the parks:
“We’ll have officers that will work in the parks, you know work on our trails, and that will make sure that they’re there and present. Also creating processes where people can communicate to us if there are concerns they see in the parks”
Mr. Seewood also says CPD is currently 25 officers short. That’s an improvement from the 40 officers they were down earlier this year. Mr. Seewood says his number one goal is to get police officers trained and on the streets and parks. He spoke to 939 the Eagle News after the REDI meeting:
“We have eight (future officers) that are currently graduating in this upcoming academy, we have another 15 that’s prepared to go into the next academy. And we’re even starting to interview for the following academy,” says Seewood.
Columbia’s city council approved a $558-million budget in September that included most of Mr. Seewood’s priorities. His budget emphasizes public safety: $68-million of the city’s general fund budget goes toward public safety. That’s 51 percent of the general fund budget.
