According to a report released by the Missouri Attorney General, black drivers were more likely than people of any other race to be stopped by Columbia Police. A coalition of groups recently convened the first in a series of public meetings designed to address the issue. But what steps could law enforcement agencies take to reduce the effects of bias? And how well might they work?

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Panelists:
Noor Azizan-Gardner, interim chief diversity officer, University of Missouri
Ken Burton, chief, Columbia Police
Mary Ratliff, president of the Missouri and Columbia unit of the NAACP
Don Love, chairman, Missouri Association of Social Welfare Human Rights Task Force (joining the program by phone)
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On Aug. 26, Kraig Kahler, a former Columbia Water and Light director, was found guilty of killing his wife, his two teen-aged daughters and his wife’s grandmother, whose home they were visiting. The case raises the troubling question: How can a family in our community be destroyed in this kind of tragedy? In this discussion, we talk about how these kinds of shocking domestic violence events come to pass and, more importantly, how they might be prevented.
IF YOU ARE IN AN ABUSIVE SITUATION AND NEED HELP, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1−800−799−SAFE (7233) or TTY 1−800−787−3224

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Panelists:
Barbara Hodges, executive director, True North
Zachary Wilson, development director, Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
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Details about some of the work being done to help deter abusers was provided in the online chat room during today's discussion. Susan Schopflin, quality improvement director at Family Counseling Center of Missouri, described the work of M.E.N.D. (Men Exploring Non-violent Directions), a 27 week batterer intervention program. Click below to replay the chat and read what she had to say.
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In collaboration with the Columbia Missourian, we follow up on the newspaper's three-month investigative report on the Columbia Regency Mobile Home Park with a public conversation about what can be done to ensure all levels of housing are safe, clean and up to code. Along with what panelists say, we also hear from several former residents of Columbia Regency who called in to share their experiences.

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Panelists:
* Bill Cantin, neighborhood response coordinator, Columbia Office of Neighborhood Services
* Brad Racino, Columbia Missourian reporter
* Phil Steinhaus, CEO, Columbia Housing Authority
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FIRST HALF HOUR: Nine months into Bob McDavid's term as mayor of Columbia, he shares his thoughts and ideas on the year ahead, including criteria for selecting a new city manager and his views on the role of the mayor in promoting economic development.
SECOND HALF HOUR: We discuss last-minute efforts to halt the execution of Richard Clay and how this case fits into the larger context of the death penalty in Missouri and in America.
UPDATE: Shortly after this program was recorded, Governor Jay Nixon announced that he had commuted Richard Clay's sentence to life in prison without possibility of parole.

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Panelists:
Bob McDavid, mayor of Columbia (first half of program)
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Jeff Stack, coordinator, Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation
Kiefer Clay, son of Richard Clay (by phone)
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A panel of local and state journalists recap the biggest stories of 2010 and explain how those events might shape mid-Missouri in the year ahead.

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Panelists:
Marshall Griffin, statehouse reporter for St. Louis Public Radio
Janese Silvey, higher education reporter at the Columbia Daily Tribune
Scott Swafford, senior city editor at the Columbia Missourian and associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism
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Columbia residents are being asked to decide in voting next week whether the City of Columbia should prohibit the use of Tasers within city limits. This program presents views from panelists and callers on various sides of the Proposition 2 measure. The discussion covers the pros and cons of allowing use of Tasers and delves into questions of reliability and police procedures that guide Taser use in arrest situations.

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Panelists:
Edward Berg, attorney, and one of the original members of Coalition to Control Tasers
Dwayne Carey, Boone County sheriff
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What needs to be done -- by law enforcement and by citizens -- to encourage positive interactions between the police and the diverse members of the community? How should the police handle difficult arrests? And what is Columbia doing to train its officers in these areas? Key figures involved in police and citizen relations discuss these questions and more.

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Panelists:
Ken Burton, Columbia Police chief
Don Love, chair of the central Missouri chapter of the Missouri Association of Social Welfare
David Harris, University of Pittsburgh law professor and author of “Profiles in Injustice: Why racial profiling cannot work” and “Good Cops: The case for preventive policing” (Joining the program by phone)
Steven Silverman, founder and executive director of Flex Your Rights (Joining the program by phone)
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Almost one year into the job, Chief Burton discusses what he has done so far and his plans for the future.
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Panelists:
Ken Burton, Columbia Police Chief
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We're taking a look at the criminal justice system and the complex task of ensuring innocent people don't end up in jail.
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Panelists:
Darryl Burton, exonerated after serving 24 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit
Dan Knight, Boone County prosecuting attorney
Rodney Uphoff, Elwood Thomas Missouri Endowed Professor of Law, MU School of Law
Steve Weinberg, professor, MU School of Journalism
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Panelists:
Dr. Joe Carter, professor of criminal justice, Columbia College
Sandra Davidson, lawyer and MU journalism professor
Karen Taylor, mother of assault victim and founder of the Keep Columbia Safe Coalition
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