While concerns over crime swirl in Columbia, the Police Department is unveiling a new way of tracking offenses in the community.
Police Chief Jill Schlude unveiled a new crime report for 2024 that uses an improved methodology to report crimes from last year. The Police Department will also create an online transparency dashboard with real-time updates on different crimes, which could counter misinformation on social media, Schlude said during a news conference.
The push for transparency and accuracy in crime data comes just a few weeks before the local municipal election, in which candidates are talking about the need to improve public safety and have looked for solutions to drive down crime in the community.
Although Schlude didn’t mention the election specifically, she acknowledged that numerous posts on social media in recent months mischaracterized crime statistics in the city. She also acknowledged that a large segment of the community is worried about safety, and that it’s important for her office to be as transparent as possible.
“We have to have good data to make those types of decisions. And I also do not discount that fear of crime is a real thing, right?” Schlude said.
Barbara Buffaloe, the incumbent mayor, faces a challenge from Blair Murphy, Tanya Heath and Lucio Bitoy in the April 8 election. Jacque Sample is running unopposed for Third Ward. Challenger Ron Graves and incumbent Nick Foster are competing for Fourth Ward Councillor.
Understanding the changes
The 2024 report divides crimes into three major categories: crimes against persons, property, or society. In all three categories, crime has gone down compared to 2023.
“I feel very confident in the property and society numbers,” Schlude said.
The new numbers indicate crimes against property have decreased by 2.25% and crimes against society – such as drugs and weapons crimes – have decreased by 5.77%.
However, while crimes against persons are also shown to be down by 7.27%, one of the reasons for that is past overreporting, she said. The reports said the city saw a sharp decrease in every kind of sexual crime last year, but that’s because many were improperly classified in 2023.
In 2019, the Police Department adopted the National Incident-Based Reporting System — the same system the FBI uses to report crime. It has specific definitions for each crime.
Schlude said the Police Department had been classifying crimes by what victims said happened to them, rather than the official definition. For example, there were 75 reported cases of “fondling” in 2023, and just 14 in 2024.
Schlude also said her department brought aboard a new records management administrator, Sarah Jones, who has been working to correct the data reporting.
“I discovered that they were coded based on what was being initially told to the officers at the time, but they weren’t quite meeting the definition that the federal government says is the definition of the crime,” Jones said. “So, an instance would be, a person saying ‘I was raped,’ but not going into details of what occurred and that just doesn’t get to the NIBRS definition of rape.”
Officials said the Police Department is still “victim-centered” but the focus on properly categorizing crimes will help provide better data to the public.
“We encourage people to report, but when they report sometimes, we just get an initial phone call, and if we don’t get enough detail, we can’t put it in that box if it doesn’t meet the federal definition,” Schlude said.
Mayoral candidates react
Buffaloe, the incumbent mayor, raised concerns about how the numbers of homicides have doubled and these numbers being domestic related. Buffalo spoke after the news conference held at the Columbia City Council chambers to address the consistency and accuracy of data on crime statistics and Columbia police’s use of force reporting.
She noted that, although murders increased to 13 in 2024, compared to seven in 2023, the 2024 figure is actually more representative of a typical year in Columbia.
‘’Any homicide is one too many ...’’ Buffaloe said. “The importance of today’s press conference is to try capture more accurate data so that they can make more informed decisions for public sources.”
Despite reports indicating a decline in crime rates, Murphy said he has been in contact with community members who remain skeptical, pointing to their personal experiences and concerns about public safety. They emphasize the ongoing impact of violent incidents and the perceived inadequacy of crime prevention efforts in the city.
“If you think crime is down in Columbia, talk with crime victims — I have,” Murphy said in an email. “I just met with a group of moms who have lost their children to homicide, and I just met with a Mizzou dad whose college-age daughter was shot in the leg in crossfire between prior offenders outside of a restaurant on Broadway.”
“The problems are real, and our fellow residents told us quite clearly in the city’s own community survey that fewer than 18% are satisfied with the city’s crime prevention efforts,” he said. “Our cops are overstretched and exhausted. We need to hire more cops and make sure police officers know we have their backs.”
Heath offered insights on how she will tackle this issue.
“On safety and crime reduction, my plan is to support the police in four ways,” she said in a phone interview. “Work toward funding their full retirement, give them the tools that they need to do the job, give them the training that they need, and lastly, support for their mental health.”
“On the crime reduction plan, we know that crimes occur because of poverty, lack of resources, mental health and lack of a good role model,” Health said. “So I will be working with non-profit, faith based organizations, schools and volunteers to positively influence and redirect people towards better choices and clear opportunities.”
Bitoy also gave his concerns regarding crime statistics in the city of Columbia.
“One of the narratives about crime in Columbia is rooted in fear mongering.” Bitoy said. “The only way that I believe that public safety can truly represent all people — Black and low-income communities in particular, in Columbia — is by empowering these communities to take control of their own police department.”
