Police chief reports progress on hiring but 24 officer vacancies remain; academy graduation planned for March 14

Columbia Police Department leadership updated the City Council on staffing on Feb. 3, reporting progress in recruitment but continued shortfalls.

Chief (name recorded as Schlutte/Schlutte in the transcript) said the department currently has 24 officer vacancies and two sergeant vacancies. The department has 14 recruits in the police academy and an estimated six to seven in field training. Chief said about 17 applicants remained in the intake process for the March academy, and that three of the candidates are post‑certified (meaning they have prior certification and may accelerate placement). The chief described the situation as “cautiously optimistic” and said the department was working to maintain improvement in staffing levels.

The chief said an academy graduation for the current class is scheduled for March 14 at 6 p.m.; the location is being finalized. Councilmembers asked clarifying questions about vacancy counts and how academy numbers relate to vacancies; the chief explained that academy recruits are not counted as current sworn staff while they complete training, so vacancies remain until recruits are field‑deployed.

Separately, councilmembers commented they expect internal and state investigations for a recent officer‑involved shooting and that they await those reports; no new details were presented to the council at the meeting.