Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Columbus police credit staffing, new technology for drop in Part 1 crimes
Summary
Police leaders told the council that increases in sworn staffing, targeted 'intelligence‑led' patrols and new technology — including a real‑time crime center and cameras — have coincided with declines in Part 1 crimes and higher clearance rates. Officials urged continued investment in recruitment, training and partnership programs.
Columbus Police Chief Michael Mathis told the City Council during a work session that increases in sworn staffing, expanded specialized units and new technologies have helped reduce Part 1 crimes and improve clearance rates.
Chief Mathis listed recent additions and upgrades, saying the department now has a fully renovated 9‑1‑1 center, a doubled motor‑unit roster to 12 officers, a 20‑person SWAT team, a 25‑member special operations unit, a four‑person K‑9 unit and a 24‑zone reorganization intended to reduce response times. He also said the city has deployed 75 Flock cameras and 20 red‑speed cameras, intends to reach 40 school‑zone red‑speed cameras, and invested in a $1,600,000 real‑time crime center.
“These numbers change daily,” Chief Mathis said, arguing the department relies on timely, accurate data to measure progress. “If someone gets numbers and they hold on to them for a month…Those numbers very well have changed.”
Deputy Chief Rod Graham presented quarterly Part 1 crime totals from 2021 through mid‑2025 and argued there is a clear correlation between staffing levels and Part 1 crime. Graham said that as vacancies decreased and more officers became available for proactive policing, Part 1 totals for comparable quarters fell — citing totals that moved downward from earlier years into 2024 and 2025. He also said the department has increased self‑initiated activity; “self‑initiated calls are up 20,000 compared to last year,” Graham said.
Investigative commanders said clearance rates have increased. Assistant Chief Lance Deaton reported the homicide clearance rate for the first two quarters of 2025 at 87.5% and said the department cleared several past homicide cases this year. Deaton added that robbery and aggravated‑assault clearance rates have also risen year‑over‑year.
Council members asked for details about authorized vs. available sworn counts, academy timing and how pension/DROP extensions affect succession planning. Chief Mathis explained the city reduced 44 authorized positions to fund a $5,000 pay increase for officers, which he said made Columbus more competitive in recruiting; that change and other initiatives helped raise the number of available officers. Analysts noted the state academy schedule lengthened, reducing the number of classes per year and changing when new hires become “available” in the field.
Councilors and the chief emphasized community policing and de‑escalation: Mathis said officers now write many more warnings than citations — “a warning does that a million times more than a citation,” he said — and described an emphasis on relationship‑building alongside enforcement.
The department asked council to consider continuing investments in training, staffing and technology to sustain recent gains and to allow further reductions in vacancies and response times.
