Report: Columbia police use-of-force incidents decrease

The Columbia Police Department is showing a 9 percent decrease in use-of-force incidents over a year’s span, among other statistics, in its 2014 comprehensive internal affairs report.

The report, released Thursday, provides a first-ever overview of the department’s internal affairs activities throughout 2014 in an effort to increase transparency and accountability.

Use-of-force incidents fell to 108 in 2014 from 119 in 2013, according to the report.

Also, in nearly 168,838 calls for service, there were three officer-involved shootings in 2014, two of which have been adjudicated; Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook announced that at an earlier City Council committee meeting, as well.

The report also shows that in 2014:

▪ 138 citizen complaints were made against officers and 33 internal complaints were made against officers.

▪ 7,175 arrests were made by officers.

▪ 4,451,835 miles were driven by department employees.

Holbrook, who was named chief in March 2014, and several other department officials were joined by Mayor Steve Benjamin to announce the release of the report, available on the department’s website. Holbrook said the main reason for releasing the report publicly is to ensure trust between residents and the officers who are sworn to serve them.

“It’s about building trust and legitimacy within the community, and if you remember when we announced our strategic plan a few months back, one of our goals was to take a step to improve transparency and accountability,” Holbrook said. “This report certainly helps us achieve that.”

Holbrook said one of the most important statistics outlined in the report is the racial makeup of the officers in the department, a statistic he believes is beginning to better reflect the diversity of the city. Of the department’s 410 sworn officers, 228 (67 percent) are white, 100 (27 percent) are black, 11 (3 percent) are Hispanic and three (1 percent) are Asian. Of Columbia’s 133,358 permanent residents, 52 percent are white, 42 percent are black, 4 percent are Hispanic and 2 percent are Asian.