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COLUMBUS, Ga. — From the Interim Chief of Police presenting a solid plan to pay our city’s cops more, to a local man cleaning up graffiti on his own accord and setting the example for others to reclaim their neighborhoods, to a Sheriff’s Deputy teaming up with CPD & Fire/EMS to save a mother and child on the RiverWalk, here’s all the muck that’s fit to print from the Columbus, Georgia area, along with a look at what to expect in the week ahead.
MATHIS NAILS SOLID PLAN TO PAY COPS MORE, BOOST RETENTION, & CRUSH CRIME
This story was originally published on August 14, 2023.
COLUMBUS, Ga. — Officers of the Columbus Police Department could be seeing a pay raise in the near future along with an increase in the overall morale of the force, thanks to a clever approach to retention by Interim Chief Stoney Mathis.
Though Mathis has only been leading the department for a few short months, his initiative and common-sense approach to leadership has already earned him a proven track record for improving both the atmosphere and culture within CPD.
Now, Mathis has delivered a solid vision to city officials for how we can keep that momentum rolling forward — and it all comes down to what martial leadership is all about: listening to what troops need, finding realistically-effective ways to get it to them, and empowering them to employ it well.
Given the short time frame Mathis has been the city’s top cop, it’s pretty clear he’s more than familiar with these sentiments.
Explore the full story for a look at how Mathis sees our city crushing crime by flexing the department’s greatest strength: its people.
LOCAL MAN CLEANS UP MIDTOWN GRAFFITI; SETS EXAMPLE FOR CITY LEADERS
This story was originally published on August 15, 2023.
COLUMBUS, Ga. — A local man stepped up to the plate to take care of his community after an uptick in graffiti throughout the MidTown area left a bridge covered in the misplaced artwork of local wannabe criminal thugs.
When the city couldn’t seem to keep up and deal with the problem fast enough, MidTown resident Chris Harman decided to break out his pressure washer and deal with the problem himself.
No committee had to be formed. No community meeting was required. No resolution from city council needed to be painstakingly drafted.
Harman simply saw a problem in his neighborhood and fixed it.
Explore the full story to see how Harman set the example for others to step up and reclaim their neighborhood.
WANT TO GET PAID TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? CPD HELD HIRING EVENT AUGUST 19
This story was originally published on August 16, 2023.
COLUMBUS, Ga. — The Columbus Police Department proudly hosted a dynamic hiring event this Saturday on August 19, 2023.
The event took place at the Public Safety Building located at 510 10th Street. Interested applicants were guided through the streamlined event, which included an initial interview, a physical fitness test, a written exam, and a background screening — all in a single afternoon.
If you missed the event but are still interested in exploring a career with CPD, it’s not too late!
With a proven track record of new leadership forging our city’s police force into one of the best in the country, your talent, ambition, and dedication to community service is in high demand!
Help our city put your skills to good use!
Visit ProtectColumbus.ColumbusGA.gov to learn more.
DEPUTY, CPD, AND FIRE & EMS TEAMED UP TO SAVE MOM’S LIFE ON RIVERWALK
This story was originally published on August 17, 2023.
COLUMBUS, Ga. — A Muscogee County Sheriff’s Deputy out for her daily walk found herself working hand-in-hand with an officer of the Columbus Police Department and members of the city’s Fire & EMS to save the lives of a distraught mother and newborn infant on the RiverWalk.
Like she does every day, Deputy Aliyah Miller took a walk during her lunch break on Wednesday, August 16.
For no particular reason, Miller chose to walk along the RiverWalk on that particular day — though her presence seemed to have been ordained.
As Miller began her stroll, she noticed an officer of the Columbus Police Department approaching her alongside a panicked mother with an infant in her arms.
The distraught mother, suffering from a horrific episode of extreme distress, was threatening to jump into the river with her newborn.
With the situation teetering on the brink of disaster, Miller went into action.
Explore the full story for the heroic details of how our city’s public safety came together to save the day.
CITY PURCHASES VIRTUAL TRAINING PLATFORM FOR CPD; 270 HRS OF CONTENT
This story was originally published on August 18, 2023.
COLUMBUS, Ga. — The Columbus Police Department will soon have access to one of the most robust digital training systems in the nation, thanks to an approved purchase during the city council meeting held on August 8.
The platform, known as Virtual Academy Training, delivers more than 270 hours of state-of-the-art content through scenario-based training modules.
Those modules cover a wide variety of topics ranging from roll call training, to public assemblies, to officer resilience and mental health.
The platform also includes specialized training for Field Training Officers (FTOs), which are experienced senior members of the department responsible for the training and evaluation of junior officers.
The new platform sets the department up for success by enabling officers to complete classroom-type instruction on their own time, which in turn allows instructors to dedicate more time to the hands-on portions of training.
Explore the full story for the details along with what Interim Chief Stoney Mathis had to say about the invaluable training platform.
TIRED OF SCAMMERS? CPD INVITES PUBLIC TO FINANCIAL CRIMES SEMINAR AUGUST 30
This story was originally published on August 19, 2023.
COLUMBUS, Ga. — We’ve all seen them: sketchy text messages, phone calls, and emails that look legitimate but are really just criminal ploys to steal your information and money.
While some of these scams are easy to spot, others are purposefully designed and targeted to exploit the predictable patterns of your everyday life without you even knowing it's happening; the danger often lies in things you didn’t even know could even be a risk.
Thankfully, our city just-so-happens to have a crime fighting unit with highly-specialized expert knowledge on how to spot these scams and bring these criminals to justice — and they’d really like to share some of that knowledge with you and your family.
Sergeant Jane Edenfield of the Columbus Police Department’s Financial Crime Unit is hosting a free seminar on how you can arm yourself against fraud, scams, and other exploitative financial crimes.
The free event will take place on August 30 at 2:30 p.m. at Covenant Woods, located at 5424 Woodruff Farm Road.
Explore the full story for the details and see how you can attend.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The Columbus City Council is scheduled to meet this Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. on the second floor of the C. E. “Red” McDaniel City Services Center located at 3111 Citizens Way, Columbus, GA 31906.
Mayor Henderson is not scheduled to preside over the meeting.
Mayor Pro Tem Gary Allen (District 6) is also expected to be absent.
This is the second meeting in a row where both Mayor Henderson and Mayor Pro Tem Allen are not scheduled to be in attendance at the meeting’s commencement.
With both Henderson and Allen absent, Councilor Judy Thomas (District 9) is scheduled to preside over the meeting in their stead, as listed in the heading of the meeting’s published agenda.
Join Today. Protect Tomorrow.
There has never been a better time to be a Columbus Police Officer! The Columbus Police Department is a state and nationally accredited law enforcement agency dedicated to protecting and serving the citizens of Columbus, Georgia. Become part of a highly trained law enforcement team focused on building and maintaining strong community partnerships that improve the safety and quality of life for every citizen. Join today and protect the promise of a better tomorrow. ProtectColumbus.ColumbusGa.gov
A Look At Personal Safety
As the Columbus Police Department continues to unify under its new leadership model, violent crime is still likely to exist at higher levels than we would all like — even in what have previously been thought of as the “safer parts” of our city.
We at the Muckraker want to encourage our readers and their loved ones to remain hyper-vigilant as they go about their daily lives.
Based on lifetimes of experience and the combined professional careers of us at the Muckraker and our associates, here are what we consider to be the most important ways Columbusites can make themselves “hard targets” to avoid becoming a crime victim:
Situational Awareness: Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Keep your head on a swivel. Don’t walk around with headphones in. Keep your eyes moving and scanning around you as you move about.
Trust Your Gut: If something inside of you is telling you that something isn’t right, trust that feeling. For example: If you’re parking your car at night and your gut tells you the dark shady spot next to the alley isn't the best place to park, don't park there. Your intuition is often more powerful and protective than you think.
Move With Confidence: Think about this one for a minute. Are criminals going to target the guy or gal who struts hard down the street like a freaking lion patrolling their own domain, or are they going to leave that hard target the heck alone? Keep your head up. Move from place to place with a purpose. Don't walk around with your face in your phone with your purse wide open. Don’t look weak. Look dangerous.
Facts are stubborn things — and we’ll keep publishing them, whether city officials like them or not.
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