Earlier this year, law enforcement officials with the MU Police Department used a DNA sample to identify the person responsible for the highly publicized homicide of MU Professor Jeong Im. It was a rare moment when television-style crime-scene drama made its way into actual news headlines, instead of the other way around. Today we go behind the scenes -- and around the TV glamour -- to learn more about how crime scene investigations are actually carried out in the real world.
Panelists:
Mike Himmel, retired detective and adjunct instructor, Columbia College criminal justice program
Bill Marbaker, crime lab director, Missouri State Highway Patrol
Captain Tim Hull, director of public information and education, Missouri State Highway Patrol
Jeff Nichols, retired detective and adjunct instructor, University of Missouri Law Enforcement Training Institute (joining by phone)

 
 
As the year comes to a close, we recap some of the stories that made headlines over the past 12 months, and take a look ahead into what 2013 might bring.
Panelists:
Scott Swafford, senior city editor, Columbia Missourian
Lora Wegman, city editor, Columbia Daily Tribune
David Lieb, correspondent, The Associated Press
 (joining by phone)

 
 
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)

 
 
Two newly-elected Columbia City Council members join us in the studio to share their vision for Columbia... and to take audience questions. The discussion includes their views on topics such as downtown parking, city growth, low-income housing, public safety, city budgeting, and more.

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Panelists:
Fred Schmidt, Columbia First Ward city councilman
Helen Anthony, Columbia Fifth Ward city councilwoman

 
 
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

 
 
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

 
 
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

 
 
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)

 
 
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

 
 
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