Public Safety Committee — Columbia, SC
Date: 2024-05-21
Time: 13:00

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA
 TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2024


The Public Safety Committee will conduct a meeting on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. at
the Busby Street Community Center, 1735 Busby Street, Columbia, SC 29203. Members of the
public may view the meeting online at www.columbiasc.gov. Please contact the City Clerk’s
Office at (803)545-3045 or cityclerk@columbiasc.gov if you have questions regarding the
meeting.

 The Honorable William Brennan, Chair
 The Honorable Tina N. Herbert, District I  The Honorable Peter M. Brown, District IV

Prior to entering the meeting please turn all electronic communication devices to the silent, vibrate or off
 position. All presenters are asked to speak directly into the microphone for recording purposes.

CALL TO ORDER
PUBLIC SAFETY UPDATES

1. Columbia Police Department Briefing - Mr. William “Skip” Holbrook, Police Chief

  Year-to-Date Crime Report
  Vehicle Pursuits and Technology
  City Camera Update
  Vehicles for Hire (Taxi Cabs)

COMMITTEE DISCUSSION

2. Proposed Right-of-way Signage Ordinance - Ms. Jazmon Kearse, Esq., Advisor for the
 Columbia Police Department

3. Fighting Hate on Main Street Municipal Toolkit - Ms. Jessica Kinard, Esq., Senior
 Assistant City Attorney

ADJOURNMENT




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PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA
 TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2024


The Public Safety Committee will conduct a meeting on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. at
the Busby Street Community Center, 1735 Busby Street, Columbia, SC 29203. Members of the
public may view the meeting online at www.columbiasc.gov. Please contact the City Clerk’s
Office at (803)545-3045 or cityclerk@columbiasc.gov if you have questions regarding the
meeting.

 The Honorable William Brennan, Chair
 The Honorable Tina N. Herbert, District I  The Honorable Peter M. Brown, District IV

Prior to entering the meeting please turn all electronic communication devices to the silent, vibrate or off
 position. All presenters are asked to speak directly into the microphone for recording purposes.

CALL TO ORDER
PUBLIC SAFETY UPDATES

1. Columbia Police Department Briefing - Mr. William “Skip” Holbrook, Police Chief

  Year-to-Date Crime Report
  Vehicle Pursuits and Technology
  City Camera Update
  Vehicles for Hire (Taxi Cabs)

COMMITTEE DISCUSSION

2. Proposed Right-of-way Signage Ordinance - Ms. Jazmon Kearse, Esq., Advisor for the
 Columbia Police Department

3. Fighting Hate on Main Street Municipal Toolkit - Ms. Jessica Kinard, Esq., Senior
 Assistant City Attorney

ADJOURNMENT




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MEETING DATE: May 21, 2024

DEPARTMENT: City Clerk

FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk

SUBJECT: Columbia Police Department Briefing - Mr.
 William “Skip” Holbrook, Police Chief
FUNDING SOURCE &
ORIGINAL BUDGET:

PURPOSE:
Year-to-Date Crime Report
Vehicle Pursuits and Technology
City Camera Update
Vehicles for Hire (Taxi Cabs)




Updated: 5/20/2024 11:27 AM Page 1
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MEETING DATE: May 21, 2024

DEPARTMENT: City Clerk

FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk

SUBJECT: Proposed Right-of-way Signage Ordinance - Ms.
 Jazmon Kearse, Esq., Advisor for the Columbia
 Police Department
FUNDING SOURCE &
ORIGINAL BUDGET:




HISTORY:
04/30/24 Public Safety Committee MEETING CANCELLED
 Next: 05/21/24




Updated: 5/17/2024 11:29 AM Page 1
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MEETING DATE: May 21, 2024

DEPARTMENT: City Clerk

FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk

SUBJECT: Fighting Hate on Main Street Municipal Toolkit -
 Ms. Jessica Kinard, Esq., Senior Assistant City
 Attorney
FUNDING SOURCE &
ORIGINAL BUDGET:




Updated: 5/20/2024 11:31 AM Page 1
 Packet Pg. 4

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
 TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2024


CALL TO ORDER

The Public Safety Committee conducted a meeting on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at the Busby
Street Community Center, 1735 Busby Street, Columbia, SC 29203. The Honorable Will
Brennan, Chair called the meeting to order at 9:06 a.m.
Attendee Name Title Status
Will Brennan Chair Present
Tina N. Herbert Member Present
Peter M. Brown Member Present
PUBLIC SAFETY UPDATES

1. Columbia Police Department Briefing - Mr. William “Skip” Holbrook, Police Chief –
 Received as information

  Year-to-Date Crime Report
  Vehicle Pursuits and Technology
  City Camera Update
  Vehicles for Hire (Taxi Cabs)

Police Chief Holbrook shared the Police Department’s year-to-date numbers, highlighting a
positive trend with overall crime down by 18% compared to the previous year. Specific
decreases include robbery and assault by 22%, auto break-ins by 24%, and motor vehicle theft by
36%. He underscored the benefits of ShotSpotter technology, noting a corresponding increase in
police actions following alerts, despite a decrease in alert frequency.

Investigator Cannon Fulmer, Crime Analyst/Columbia Police Department presented insights
from dashboards that included gun seizures, auto break-ins, ShotSpotter, and gun violence.

Police Chief Holbrook provided updates on the operational status of 199 camera sites, including
license plate readers at key neighborhood entry and exit points. He said we’re working with our
camera vendor, Motorola, to put together a package to introduce our business community to
potential increased camera coverage. That, along with additional technologies, are still in process
of being implemented.

Sergeant Robert Uhall, Traffic Safety Unit/Columbia Police Department discussed pursuit
policies, emphasizing strict criteria, ongoing assessment, and post-event reviews. He introduced
the Grappler for safely immobilizing fleeing vehicles and highlighted StarChase's GPS tracking
effectiveness in other municipalities. He detailed regulations governing taxis versus ride-sharing
services like Uber, noting the city's 123 taxis, all passing recent inspections. Starting a taxi


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 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
 TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2024


company requires a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity, involving coordination with the
Director of Public Works to meet vehicle color and ordinance requirements (Section 24).
Inspections, now streamlined to a week annually, include meter seals and vehicle decals for fare
accuracy.

Ms. Teresa Wilson, City Manager urged staff to identify and address overly burdensome aspects
of current processes, while emphasizing a need to streamline operations to enhance business
friendliness.

There was discussion about camera footage from private businesses; media engagement
strategies; the growth of ShotSpotter; the increase in gun seizures and a notable decrease in guns
stolen within jurisdictional limits; the correlation of dashboard data with gun-related public
service announcements; receiving an update on the pilot of StarChase technology; and
streamlining non-employee centric processes by using online applications.

COMMITTEE DISCUSSION

2. Proposed Right-of-way Signage Ordinance - Ms. Jazmon Kearse, Esq., Advisor for the
 Columbia Police Department – Endorse for City Council Consideration

Ms. Jazmon Kearse, Esq., Advisor for the Columbia Police Department said we made minor
changes to Chapter 22 of our code section, with the additions of code sections 2275 through
2277. She shared amendments aligning local laws with state regulations concerning signage in
public right-of-ways. This encompasses all types of signage, including political signs. A new city
ordinance supplements state penalties with a signage removal fee. Upon notification of unlawful
signage placement, recipients have a 10-day window to appeal to the City Manager or designated
authority. The fee structure is tiered based on the number of infractions. She clarified that
multiple infractions on the same day count as a single offense. Efforts are underway to enhance
enforcement using technology to identify repeat offenders, particularly in high-traffic areas.

Ms. Teresa Wilson, City Manager Wilson emphasized the collaborative effort involving various
city departments. She highlighted the importance of ensuring all city staff are well-versed in the
rules to handle inquiries effectively. She also promoted the upcoming launch of the "MyColaSC"
app as a convenient tool for residents to submit complaints, emphasizing its potential to
streamline communication and enhance public engagement during campaign seasons and
beyond.

There was discussion about the prevalence of illegal political signs; how the lack of
communication on how to report signs impacts beautification efforts; deterring promotion of

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 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
 TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2024


illegal businesses; public education campaign; and temporarily storing removed signs, especially
during campaign seasons, while acknowledging challenges in long-term storage.

There was consensus of the committee to endorse the proposed ordinance for City Council
approval.

3. Fighting Hate on Main Street Municipal Toolkit - Ms. Jessica Kinard, Esq., Senior
 Assistant City Attorney – Received as information

Ms. Jessica Kinard, Esq., Senior Assistant City Attorney said the Mayor wants to ensure that our
ordinances are up to pace with the stringency of the provided model ordinances. She reviewed
overpass banners, which currently lack specific regulations due to their location typically falling
under state Department of Transportation jurisdiction. Existing city ordinances cover banners
over streets like Elmwood Avenue, requiring city approval for placement and removal. She
suggested that the committee consider drafting an ordinance to regulate these banners, with
particular attention to content approval.

Ms. Teresa Wilson, City Manager welcomed feedback and collaboration from city staff to refine
proposed amendments and explore additional measures where necessary. She encouraged staff to
take this under advisement and to work with various departments, especially the Columbia Police
Department and Public Works to determine what is needed and what can't be done.

There was discussion about differentiation between non-controversial projections like sports
championships versus potentially divisive or offensive messages; enhancing the graffiti
ordinance to include safeguards against demeaning language and hate speech; overnight
soliciting and canvassing; and ensuring ordinances aren’t treating protests differently than large
gatherings.

There was consensus of the committee to continue this conversation further, following
suggestions from Legal and the Police Department.


ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 a.m.

Respectfully submitted:




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 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
 TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2024



Erika D. Moore Hammond, CMC
City Clerk




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