On Monday, Columbia Mayor Bob McDavid announced his six-point plan to tackle violent crime in the city. Among the ideas is a 20 cent property tax increase to hire 35 additional officers. The mayor also announced the members of a task force charged with investigating Columbia’s crime problem, which the city council can vote to approve at its meeting Monday. The announcement comes weeks after a number of high profile incidents, including the shooting death of teenager Tre’Veon Marshall, a homicide in a Conley Road shopping center in what’s believed to be a drug deal gone bad, and shots fired in Columbia’s downtown district. This week on Intersection, we’ll talk to the mayor about his proposals, and find out what could be done to reduce violent crime in the city. Useful links: -A summary of crime in Columbia over the past 20 years -Breakdown of violent crime in Columbia involving a firearm -How violent crime in Columbia compares with other Midwestern cities | Panelists: Bob McDavid, mayor of Columbia Dale Roberts, executive director of the Columbia Police Officers' Association Laura Nauser, council member for Columbia's Fifth Ward Tyree Byndom, community leader and talk show host |
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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? 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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) |