The Columbia Police Department is getting closer to being fully staffed as four new officers were sworn in Monday morning.
Full-time officers Kaley Lawrence and Adam Whalum and part-time officers Joshua Jones and Allen Torrey took the oath of office at City Hall from Mayor Justin McKenzie in front of families and fellow officers.
“You’ll embark on a journey of trials and tribulations,” McKenzie told the officers. “You’ve got a good group of people around you, police officers and administration that will be here to support you. We appreciate you coming on board.”
Chief Michael Kelly said the department is not just a few officers short of being fully staffed, which is 26 officers and administrators.
“We were as low as 17 at one point,” he said. “We’re getting the right personnel in place. We’re getting good personnel. Jones and Torrey have both been in law enforcement for more than 20 years.”
Whalum and Lawrence both grew up in the area, and Kelley said those are the kind of officers he wants at the CPD.
“We want people with enthusiasm,” he said. “We want to find people with a deep connection to the community who want to stay here and help us build something.”
During executive session last week at the Columbia Board of Aldermen meeting, after lengthy discussions, the board voted to terminate two officers, Victor Davila and Dominique Magee. City Attorney Lawrence Hahn said he could not comment further on the executive session where the board also approved an agreement with the DEA for narcotic enforcement and approved participation in opioid litigation.
During last week’s Columbia Board of Aldermen, the police department also added a new full-time non-certified dispatcher, Kevin Wehmeyer, accepted the resignation of part-time animal control officer Ashley Bond, accepted the resignation of part-time patrol officer George Trahoulis, accepted the resignation of reserve officers Rachel Verner, who accepted a job in Slidell, La., and transferred part-time officers Marcus Ardis and Joey Herrington to reserve status.
Kelly also addressed the board about a proposal to switch the department’s firearms from .40 caliber Glock weapons to new Gen 5 9mm Glocks.
“We want to make the switch from .40 to 9 mm because of the cost and availability of ammunition,” he said. “The FBI is going to 9 mm. The proposal will be to trade in our old inventory and purchase the new weapons at a discounted price.”
Kelly also brought up an idea for more community policing during the meeting.
“I’d like to form a bike patrol,” he said. “We could purchase a bike and have it available for events and football games. It could be used where officers can’t necessarily get around in cars.”
The board also accepted the purchase of a retired Ford Crown Victoria police interceptor from Lamar County, which will be used for officers to drive to out-of-town training.
Kelly also told the board that the new policies and procedures for the department were available for review and would take effect in October.
The board also voted to move officer Chris Bush to the certified officer pay rate because he is a certified
officer.
Pictured Above: Mayor Justin McKenzie, at right, speaks with new officers Kaley Lawrence, Joshua Jones, Adam Whalum and Allen Torrey during a swearing in ceremony at the Columbia Police Department Monday morning. | Photo by Mark Rogers
