In what she called a “difficult decision,” the Columbia Police Department plans to end its Community Outreach and Downtown units at the conclusion of this year due to a lack of officers, Deputy Chief Jill Schlude announced in an email.
“Unfortunately our current staffing numbers cannot sustain the current model of 14 officers and two sergeants working in very small focus areas,” she said in the email.
Although the department sees the dismantling of the Community Outreach Unit as its best option moving forward, Race Matters, Friends, which has been critical of the department, is concerned about the future of community policing.
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