City leaders pointed to a handful of recent initiatives aimed at reducing crime downtown in response to public criticism about downtown safety from University of Missouri System President Mun Choi.
The joint statement from Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, City Manager De’Carlon Seewood and the Columbia City Council listed 10 action items the city has either taken or is planning to take related to downtown safety.
Choi said in emails to city leaders obtained by KOMU 8 News that he is gravely concerned about safety in Columbia, particularly downtown.
In an interview with Buffaloe on Friday, KOMU 8 News asked the mayor if she agrees that downtown safety is a problem.
“For us, it’s really about community safety,” Buffaloe said in the interview with KOMU 8 News. “We want people to be safe in their neighborhoods, in their businesses — downtown is included in that.”
Last fall, Choi publicly called on city leaders to address what he called a “crime crisis” after a downtown shooting on Mizzou’s Homecoming weekend left a Stephens College student dead and two other people hurt.
On many of the emails Choi sent this year regarding violence in Columbia, he copied Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude and other city personnel, Boone County officials, Chamber of Commerce members, University of Missouri staff and Department of Justice personnel including an assistant U.S. attorney and the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
Choi told KOMU 8 News on Friday afternoon after the city issued its statement that he had not received a response from the mayor, city manager or First Ward council member.
“These action items are no different than what was proposed nearly a year ago,” Choi said in response to the city’s Friday statement. “Placing one camera on Walnut Street is not enough. Waiting until January 2027 for the downtown unit is too late — the need is now.”
Buffaloe said that when he emailed her this week, Choi should have received a notice that she was out of office.
Police staffing, downtown unit
In its statement, the city confirmed the Columbia Police Department intends to reestablish its downtown unit using funds from the 1% public safety sales tax, which voters very narrowly approved in the August 2026 election. The city has said it plans to hire 50 new police officers over four years using funds generated by the tax.
The tax takes effect Jan. 1, and the city will begin receiving proceeds in March. Those funds go entirely to the Columbia Police and Fire Departments. The statement from the city said the downtown unit will be reestablished once the Police Department is able to hire, train and deploy additional officers.
In a statement to KOMU 8 News on Friday afternoon, Choi called for the mayor and city manager to provide resources to the Police Department to establish the downtown unit immediately. The unit was set to be reestablished in May 2026 but was halted by staffing shortages, according to previous KOMU 8 reporting.
Buffaloe told KOMU 8 News on Friday that the current city budget was built to allow the Police Department to over-hire and that she trusts Schlude and Seewood to make staffing decisions.
“I rely on our police chief,” Buffaloe said in an interview with KOMU 8. “She and the city manager are the ones making the decisions on those staffing levels, and I trust her on that. When she’s putting her resources where she believes her resources need to be, I trust her, because she is the police chief.”
Increased downtown police presence and targeted enforcement
The statement also pointed to an increased police presence in downtown Columbia, using a weekend shots fired incident at the intersection of Ninth and Walnut streets as an example of a quick response. Court documents said Columbia police in the area heard gunshots, saw a suspect setting a gun on the ground and then arrested him. Several shots were fired toward about 30 uninvolved people, according to court documents.
The statement also confirmed a security camera was placed at the intersection of Ninth and Walnut streets this week due to repeated incidents in the same area. The camera is a Flock camera, but its data is only accessible by the Police Department, unlike data from automated license plate reader Flock Safety cameras.
The city’s statement said the Police Department is using targeted enforcement of assaults, weapons violations, peace disturbances, trespassing, open container and other offenses.
Buffaloe pointed to the city’s crime statistics dashboard, which is a public-facing tool that displays information about crime reports. She said increases in property crimes shown in the dashboard are due to more enforcement.
“When you have more officers on the streets and more people to respond to that, it helps us with those numbers to make sure that we’re addressing crime,” Buffaloe said.
Safety outside bars
The statement said the city is organizing and conducting meetings with bar operators downtown to make sure each establishment fully understands and complies with city ordinances, state laws and other regulations.
Several recent instances of violence downtown occurred at the intersection of Ninth and Walnut streets, which is where Reign Bar is located. In emails to city leaders obtained by KOMU 8 News, Choi called for the establishment’s liquor license to be revoked.
City Council and Office of Violence Prevention meetings
The statement also said the City Council has scheduled a work session focused on downtown public safety on Sept. 14, which Buffaloe said was planned before Friday’s statement.
The Columbia Office of Violence Prevention will present an analysis of violence reduction resources on Sept. 29 with a full strategic plan expected by spring 2027.
The Office of Violence Prevention launched in March 2025 under the leadership of administrator D’Markus Thomas-Brown with the goal of strategically reducing violence and improving public safety. In 2023, Buffaloe called for the office’s formation.
Full statement from the Columbia mayor, City Council and city manager
In Columbia, public safety is a top priority. Because downtown Columbia is a gathering place for residents, college and university students and tourists and other visitors, we understand the importance of addressing public safety concerns in that area.
That’s why we have taken several steps to improve public safety downtown. These action items include:
· Increased police presence downtown: More than a year ago, we increased Columbia Police Department patrols downtown during peak hours. As a result, we are able to respond very quickly when incidents occur. This includes the shooting incident this past Sunday, when officers heard gunshots and identified and apprehended a suspect almost immediately after shots were fired.
· Targeted enforcement: CPD continues targeted enforcement of assaults, weapons violations, pea ce distu rbances, trespassing, open container and other offenses. We also continue to invest in technology and investigative resources that help identify offenders and build stronger criminal cases.
· Safety Ambassadors: The City, the University of Missouri and The District launched the Downtown Safety Ambassador program in June. Ambassadors work during peak evening and overnight hours, provide safety escorts, identify problems, help de-escalate situations and contact police when enforcement is needed. A full-time outreach ambassador also connects people experiencing homelessness, mental health challenges or substance use disorders with available services. This model is being used successfully in several other college communities such as Austin, Gainesville, Athens, Ohio, Knoxville, Iowa City and others.
· Infrastructure review: The City and downtown partners have reviewed lighting, traffic flow, rideshare location s, parki ng restrictions and the placement and permitting of late-night food vendors. These measures are intended to reduce congestion and the conditions that can contribute to fights and other disturbances.
· Strategic alliance: We participate in regular meetings focused on downtown safety with partners that include the University of Missouri, MUPD and other law enforcement agencies and area leaders. This collaboration allows all interested parties opportunities to share ideas and discuss solutions.
· Security camera: In response to recent incidents in the area, we have placed a security camera at Ninth and Walnut streets.
· Outreach to bars: We are organizing and conducting meetings with bar operators downtown to make sure that each establishment fully understands and complies with city ordinances, state laws and other rules.
· Work session: The City Council has scheduled a work session focused on downtown public safety on Sept. 14.
· Violence reduction: The City’s Office of Violence Prevention will present a violence reduction landscape analysis Sept. 29 and intends to complete a full strategic plan by spring 2027.
· Downtown unit: Columbia voters approved a 1% public safety sales tax on Aug. 4. The tax takes effect Jan. 1 and the city will begin receiving proceeds, all of which will be strictly dedicated to the police and fire departments, in March. Once we are able to hire, train and deploy additional officers, the Columbia Police Department intends to reestablish its downtown unit.
Choi response
Choi responded late Thursday afternoon to Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Roger Johnson. Choi continued to call upon city leaders, stating, “something has to change.”
“These outcomes are deeply concerning: people accused of serious violent crimes are receiving plea deals, probation, or short sentences,” Choi wrote, “Can your office take more of these cases to trial? Can particularly serious or repeat violent-offender cases be referred to, or prosecuted in partnership with, the Missouri Attorney General, U.S. Attorney, etc?”
“Are there changes the city or county can make through new ordinances? Are the judges being too lax in sentencing? If so, who are they and how can we keep them accountable?” Choi asked Johnson.
Choi went on to say he didn’t want this conversation to end with another explanation of why the system produces these results.
