Columbia Police Department

True/False officials declined multiple interview requests about any changes to this year's safety plan.

Despite the dashboard's growing role in shaping crime discussions, confusion remains about how crimes are counted and what the dashboard’s numbers represent.

In this first episode of our new special series, The District After Dark, Nickie Davis and AC go for a ride along with Sgt. Shawn Claypool from the Columbia Police Department during his regular evening shift. February 20, 2026

The bomb squad will now only involve the Columbia Police Department and the MU Police Department.

Police Chief Jill Schlude warned residents about automated crime apps after a false AI-generated report spread on Facebook.

Although the team has been investigating the mid-Missouri area since January, the decision to launch “Operation Brightside” was made several weeks ago after the death of a Stephens College student in a downtown Columbia shooting.

According to a Facebook post shared by the Columbia Police Department, the sweeps are unrelated to immigration concerns.

The changes include only being allowed to look at appeals if they fell into one of four categories, the inability to host public meetings, make comments on policy and more.

Fifty-eight jaywalking tickets have been issued since April in Columbia, including 43 citations the past two months.

The Police Department released details about its downtown operation in response to questions about downtown safety.