The Columbia Police Officers Association (CPOA) says its officers are exhausted from the increased violent crime we’ve been seeing in Columbia.
The CPOA says 2024 is on pace to be the most violent year on record in Columbia, with ten homicides so far this year. CPOA executive director Matt Nichols tells 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” that Columbia could use a full-time SWAT team, noting SWAT team members have other duties at CPD.
“Many of the shootings and things that we have that occur … when we go to arrest those individuals, serve search warrants, we use our SWAT team. When we assist other agencies, which has been numerous in the last year or two, looking for homicide suspects from outside of Columbia … we have to use the SWAT team simply because of the risk,” Mr. Nichols says.
He says the SWAT team members have other duties at CPD, whether it’s an officer or another position. Mr. Nichols says CPD officers are working lots of overtime and that many SWAT team members responded to Thursday’s deadly standoff at the Links apartments on Clark lane during their time off. He says they did so because they care and love this community.
You can listen to the full interview CPOA’s Matt Nichols here.