MSHP data show that violent crime has decreased in Columbia, although youth violence continues

Columbia, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Office of Violence Prevention Committee met for the second time on Tuesday, as a city guide and law enforcement authorities to build collaborative strategies to combat violent crime.

So far, the Columbia police reported 186 violent crimes in 2025, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol. This is at the pace of falling significantly from the 470 violent crimes reported in 2024.

So far, violent violent crimes have been reduced compared to the same point last year. By June in 2025 there were 69 arms crimes compared to 112 in the same period of 2024.

In the first six months of this year, two murder cases were clarified compared to 10 at the same point in 2024. According to MSHP data in the previous year, overall murder reports were taken in the previous year.

Last year there were a total of nine fatal crimes related to weapons, eight of which took place in the first six months. Two were reported in the first six months of this year.

In the first six months there were 339 non -fatal crimes related to weapons in the first six months. So far, according to the data in 2025 131.

Boone County, Roger Johnson, said that the Columbia police also reported that the shootings in the city center had dropped by more than 50% compared to the previous year. Johnson attributed the implementation of Flock cameras, stronger partnerships with local and federal authorities and the investment of CPD in intelligence staff to repay crime.

“One of the things we know historically is a really small number of people who commit the largest crime movement in the community,” said Johnson. “By taking these people off the street or getting them out of the criminal company, we can significantly reduce violence as a whole.”

Johnson, who has been working for Boone County for more than a decade, stated that there are trends in Columbia in violent crime.

“Since I've been here and has been here for a long time, there have been extensive periods of violent crimes in the history of Colombia. There was a time with the violent crime, in which many shootings in the city center and past the area of Mall,” said Johnson. “Some trends that we have noticed in the past in the past, almost all of our murders and violent crimes are related to drug robberies. And that has changed really much. Many crimes. For a while we had a large number of Morten domestically.”

However, the biggest problem that Columbia currently faces is youth violence.

69 of this year's violent crimes were concerned, and almost half were committed by offenders from the age of 24 or disciples. This includes 47 incidents with suspects between the ages of 18 and 24, 24, in which 10-17 years are involved, and 13 children 10 and below.

“The trend is now that we really have to struggle with violent crimes with young people,” said Johnson. “We have young people in the community with weapons, and this is a recipe for problems. We talked to some people in the community about the possibility of an outcome lock and especially in some areas where there is a high degree of difficulties. But this is an ongoing conversation.”

In October 2024, the mayor of Columbia Barbara Buffaloe hired plans for a new office for violence prevention, a step that came in Columbia weeks after the shot of a 3-year-old. D'Markus Thomas Brown was appointed the first administrator of the office in March.

Brown has set up a 13-member advisory committee since the position.

The advisory committee has the task of monitoring performance metrics for the Office for Prevention of Violence, identifying financing gaps and recommending partnerships with community -related organizations. The goal is the mass cooperation between the city's stakeholders.

“Really a system that is compiled, the other can also use in our community, will be different stakeholders to work together in this department, and things that were somehow normalized will start after Segway,” said Brown when he was asked what he hopes to get out of the committee. “We will see how more people come together as a community and work and shared in silos.”

Brown said the revitalization of the community was one of his top priorities.

“To be able to enrich and look at places that have not been invested and somehow have a normalized understanding of violence,” Brown told ABC 17 News. “If we could work together to give people the resources to beautify the places they live, in my opinion we will see that violence is falling.”

Brown said the work was personally for him.

“I saw those who left this earth too early for violence. I saw children affected because a parent died,” said Brown. “I saw those in our schools who have observed how domestic violence happen and then outsmart the same patterns in their behavior.”

The committee checks evidence-based strategies, including an interruptter program for violence in the community, which uses neighborhood amendment agents to convey conflicts and combine endangered persons with resources. According to Brown, the office also examines a clean, safe neighborhood initiative that tries to improve living and security conditions in areas in areas with high violence in St. Louis.

Johnson, member of the Advisory Board Committee, said that partnerships between law enforcement authorities and federal authorities had contributed to reducing the shootings by about half compared to the previous year.

“The local community in Columbia has [had] Underfinal public security for decades, ”said Johnson.“ The city has invested in the hiring of new police officers, and this is a big step. It is not a problem that will solve itself overnight, but we see positive results. ”

Johnson said the committee also checked the targeted deterrent that the law enforcement authorities combined with social services.

“This is the type of stick page of the focused deterrent and we are confident that the Office for Prevention of Violence on the carrot side can help. They present the opportunities to get out of the crime.

The committee includes members of local non -profit organizations, law enforcement authorities and community organizations. The next steps include the completion of the prevention priorities and the determination of the financing for upcoming initiatives.