27 November 2007

An article in today's State Paper has catapulted the issue of consolidating the Columbia Police Department and the Richland County Sheriff's Department to the front of our community's collective consciousness.   There is no doubt that the state of our city police department is a critical issue for the future of our community.  If your government cannot adequately provide for the safety of her citizens, then our people and our businesses will begin to abandon this city.  However, there is no more a silver bullet that will solve the current problems in the police department than there is a pill that will magically re-grow your hair or help you lose 30 pounds in a week.  We need competent, well planned, and thoroughly thought out leadership to solve this issue - not seat of the pants governance. 

Eight weeks ago today, Sheriff Lott and I met in his office on Two Notch road.   One of the issues we discussed during our meeting was consolidation.  Since that day I have committed myself to great deliberation over the issues that will arise with any serious proposal to consolidate these two forces.  If the city is to seriously consider any consolidation scenario, we must have objective, data driven performance measures to ensure that consolidation is indeed in the best interest of Columbia and her citizens.  Specifically, you deserve answers to the following questions:

Is consolidation legal under current law and our current form of government? Sec. 10-31 of the City’s Code clearly states that the chief of police is subject to the City Manager. There is no provision in Columbia’s current law for elected law enforcement.

[If the City can address the legal matter, then the following issues must be attended to]

Will a consolidated department be better equipped to take care of our officers?  I have heard from many of our officers who feel they are working in less than adequate conditions. Our police officers work too hard and sacrifice too much for us to ignore the fact that they deserve a living wage and a healthy working environment.

Prior to any consolidation, the City of Columbia must objectively assess the current state of moral within the department. Additional assessments should be made at six month intervals until the end of the one year trial period that has been suggested by Sheriff Lott. If we cannot take care of our officers, then they cannot effectively protect us.

Will consolidation lead to more effective community policing?  Every day I hear from citizens who tell me it is past time for Columbia to make a top to bottom return to community policing. The people who live in their neighborhoods know better than anyone else what is happening around them. Without effective communication between citizens and police, officers are forced to play catch-up with criminals.

There is a perception in some neighborhoods that the community policing concept would suffer under the Sheriff's Department. While it is quite possible that community policing would be enhanced under Sheriff Lott's leadership, these communities deserve to have this concern addressed.

Will consolidation save city residents money?  There must be a clear understanding of the financial costs and benefits of this proposal. The City's financial woes have received a large amount of press coverage recently. We must demand financial accountability from our city and this proposal is not exempt from that requirement. Your elected leaders must ensure that you receive a full financial accounting of any consolidation program – it is your money after all.

Will this process be transparent?  The citizens of Columbia have the right to view all performance and financial data related to this endeavor.  There can be no accountability without transparency.

Is there an out if the above requirements cannot be met? I agree with Sheriff Lott and would support consolidation only if it were done on a trial basis with a full post-mortem accounting in order to evaluate effectiveness. If the needs of the community and police force are met then the city and county can consider moving forward with a more permanent consolidation of forces. However, until your government has demonstrated to you that this is the best possible solution to the challenges we are facing, there must be an out.

These are the types of tough questions I will be demanding of every issue before our city if I am elected to be your newest At-Large representative.  This is not the type of proposal that should be thought up over dinner and in the press two days later.  This is a serious matter and we must demand equally serious thought from our elected representatives.  You hire us to do a job and part of that job is making intelligent and informed decisions – not trial ballooning matters that will affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.  

Are you ready for competent leadership?

Vote April 1st

Sincerely,

Cameron A. Runyan

Candidate for Columbia

   City Council (At-Large)