Columbus public safety officials talk tough about increase in crime. ‘Enough is enough.’
The day after announcing a crime suppression operation that led to 59 people being taken into custody and one officer being wounded, Columbus public safety officials followed up with some tough talk.
During a news conference Wednesday, Columbus Police Chief Freddie Blackmon, Mayor Skip Henderson and acting District Attorney Sheneka Terry tried to reassure residents they are focusing on the local crime problem.
“Enough is enough,” Blackmon said.
He compared the increase in violent crime to a river “where dams have been broken and constantly pouring water downstream.”
The Columbus Police Department investigated 63 murders in 2021 and solved 34 of them, Blackmon said.
Columbus had 70 homicides in 2021, according to Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan, compared to an annual average of around 38 the past five years. The most recent peak was last year, when the city had 46. That surpassed the 44 reported in 2017.
“We’re not going to put up with people terrorizing the neighborhoods of Columbus, Georgia,” Henderson said.
The officials urged cooperation from all sectors of the community, including parents, educators, clergy and business leaders, to help reduce crime.
Terry thanked “the members of the community that work alongside the DA’s office, those of you that contact us, that provide us information — those of you that are courageous enough to show up in court and testify against those that terrorize our community.”
Details of the operation
Forty-five Columbus police officers and Georgia state troopers sought to identify and arrest those with outstanding warrants, illegally in possession of firearms and involved in criminal gang activity during the Jan. 28-30 operation. Several resources were used during the operation including technology, intelligence, K-9 and aerial support.
The focus of last weekend’s operation was to reduce crime by patrolling hot spot locations, according to a news release from the police department.
The operation began on the same day it was announced that more than 400+ inmates in the Muscogee County Jail were in quarantine due to COVID-19. Eight jail employees and 47 inmates tested positive for the virus, according to a news release sent by the sheriff’s office.
Last week, Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman told the Ledger-Enquirer that he asked Columbus police Chief Freddie Blackmon to forgo large-scale operations until the jail could get its coronavirus cases under control, but the request was not considered.
As a result of the recent increase in violent crime, the police department is working every day to reduce those numbers, Blackmon wrote in a statement to the Ledger-Enquirer.
“I will continue to utilize crime reduction strategies, such as crime suppression details,” he said. “I realize COVID-19 is a great concern for everyone.”
Police officers know more is expected of them than many other occupations, Blackmon continued. As cases continue to rise, the police department will remain vigilant, he said.
“Our officers will be expected to present themselves in an extraordinary manner, even during this pandemic,” Blackmon said.
There was one use of force incident during the operation when a suspect wrestled control of an officer’s taser and tried to take a pistol from a second officer, according to the news release. Officers were able to gain control and handcuff the suspect, but one of the officers received a “significant injury.” He was not hospitalized and is receiving treatment, according to the release.
Of the 59 people who were taken into custody over the weekend, five were released on Principal Summons to appear in court, according to the news release. Police seized 95.5 grams of illegal drugs that had a street sale value of $2,260 and 36 pills containing illegal drugs with a street sale value of $720.
There were 21 criminal arrest warrants served and 20 DUI arrests. Police issued 612 traffic citations and 483 traffic warnings.
Staff writer Tim Chitwood contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 6:50 AM.
