Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe met with University of Missouri System President Mun Choi and the state’s public safety team this week to discuss efforts to combat crime in Columbia.
Kehoe said in a Facebook post that his administration will not accept crime in Columbia and will work with “local communities to support law enforcement and a safer Missouri.”
Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and other city leaders were not invited to the meeting. Buffaloe said Kehoe coordinated the meeting’s attendees.
She added that she is “disappointed” that community leaders have been left out of the conversation.
“While I wasn’t there, my voice is important because I am bringing the voice of our residents and the goals that they have,” she said. “The fact that the Columbia Police Department’s police chief was not invited, to me, is a slap in the face … to not include their voice in that is to disrespect it. And that to me is what upset me the most.”
Buffaloe said she met with Choi on Thursday as part of a monthly check-in meeting. Buffaloe added that the outcome of their discussion reinforced the importance of “open communication.”
According to KOMU 8 reporting, Mizzou spokesperson Christopher Ave said crime in downtown Columbia is “unacceptable.” He added that city leadership and “delays, deflections and excuses” are the reasons for the criminal activity in the area.
Buffaloe said the issue of crime in Columbia is more complex than people realize.
She added that the Columbia Police Department is almost fully staffed and has had a larger presence in the downtown area since June. Buffaloe said the city’s efforts to increase “proactive policing” cause more crime reports to be made and citations to occur, which gives the appearance of heightened crime in downtown Columbia.
Buffaloe said city leadership needs to do a better job of communicating its crime prevention efforts to the public.
“I don’t know what was said in the meeting yesterday, so I don’t know what the outcomes are,” Buffaloe said. “We’ll just continue doing the day-to-day work that we have.”
