COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) –
The City of Columbia is getting bigger but for a while now, its police force hasn’t been keeping pace; that may be changing.

Chief Skip Holbrook said a more vigorous effort to hire and retain officers is starting to pay off.

Columbia’s police chief said his department is turning the corner on efforts to keep and attract top quality officers.

Holbrook says there’s a sense of confidence at Justice Square and it’s helping to bring in new blood.

“You can be a detective. You can be a SWAT operator. You can be a downtown beat officer. You can be a bike officer. You can be a traffic officer,” Holbrook said.

The department has a slick new marketing video pitching the virtues of a career in law enforcement and specifically at CPD.

“It tells our story. It to me demonstrates to someone that’s seeking a career in law enforcement what makes the Columbia Police Department an attractive place to come work,” Holbrook said.

So far, the numbers don’t look especially impressive.

There are about 45 vacancies in December when Holbrook and city officials announced a wide range of initiatives to build and make police operations more sophisticated and transparent.

The figure now down to about 42 vacancies.

Holbrook said the department has hired 15 officers over the last couple of months.

Another 56 applicants are undergoing background checks in the hiring process.

The chief said the department pays better now and has stabilized administration, which helps attract and keep staff.

“In my opinion a lot of our problems were self-inflicted, » Holbrook said. « And perception problems, confidence problems. You know someone doesn’t have confidence, that the police chief’s going to be in place, that officers aren’t being paid a competitive wage, if that’s the perception, you know those things hurt us.” 

Filling vacancies and building the force will be more important as the city expands.

Main Street, the Vista and soon the Columbia Common development on Bull Street are among areas where the city will need additional police protection.

Holbrook said that might mean creating a new police region covering entertainment zones.

The department will be investigating that possibility over the next 45 days as part of a regional realignment plan.

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