When Police Chief Geoff Jones was a kid, he took off from home.
When the police were called, he wasn’t detained and processed. Instead, a deputy sat him down and explained what could happen to him if he got in the car with a stranger or got himself into trouble.
That’s the model for policing he wants to bring to Columbia, he said — one where the community is the backbone for keeping the peace and protecting children. But that vision will take work.
At a Wednesday night meeting of local advocacy group Race Matters, Friends, Jones answered questions from members on the future of Columbia Police Department’s approaches to community policing, traffic stops and school safety. This comes after Columbia saw six homicides in 10 days in September.
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