Police consultant K.B. Turner on Thursday threw his support behind Columbus Mayor Robert Smith and the city council’s recent decisions to roll back the hours of businesses that are hot spots for crime.
“I think it was really a good decision on the part of the city,” Turner told The Dispatch after speaking at the Columbus Exchange Club’s weekly meeting at the Lion Hills Center. “I think it was a reasonable request of the businesses to alter their business hours.”
Turner was hired in January to conduct a six-month evaluation of the Columbus Police Department and make recommendations to city and police officials on public safety. The city agreed to pay him $19,000 for his work.
Always a proponent of community involvement with CPD, Turner emphasized that businesses have a responsibility to help keep communities safe as well.
“A city has the responsibility of protecting its citizens, and I’m pretty sure that they have no interest in trampling on the rights of the business owners to engage in free enterprise,” Turner said. “But at the same time, the businesses also have a responsibility to make sure that their product or services are not detrimental or causing problems for the community.”
His remarks came during a tumultuous week in Columbus where two private businesses faced city intervention in the wake of shootings at or near their locations.
An early Sunday morning shooting downtown outside the Princess Theater nightclub damaged at least five vehicles parked nearby — two of which were occupied — but no one was injured. On Tuesday afternoon, two victims were shot inside O-Kay Food convenience store on Seventh Avenue North.
In both cases, city officials, led by Smith, threatened moratoriums or ordinances limiting the businesses’ operating hours. Owners of both ultimately agreed to earlier closing times — among other concessions — without having to be legally forced.
Rolling business hours back is a way to encourage the business owners to find a way to improve safety, Turner said. He added that the city’s decision to improve lighting and increase police patrols downtown while The Princess is open should also help.
Changes in CPD leadership?
During Thursday’s Exchange Club meeting, Turner also did not shy away from the possibility he may recommend leadership changes at CPD before his contract expires.
One club member specifically asked Turner whether he would be willing to recommend removing people in leadership positions in the CPD if he determined they were ineffective. Turner replied that nothing is off limits.
“I was not given any restraints,” Turner said. “…If I find during the course of my analysis that, you know, this is just not working, I’m going to recommend to the leadership that this needs to be changed. … The answer is yes. It doesn’t make sense to go through the evaluation and not give them honest feedback, and that’s what I intend to do.”
The city hired Turner after Police Chief Oscar Lewis cited, during a press conference, Bible prophecy of the end times as a reason for rising crime in the city. After Turner’s hire, the mayor publicly stated Lewis’ comments as a contributing factor for seeking consultation.
Officer recruitment
Most of Turner’s talk Thursday focused on his recruitment efforts for the heavily understaffed police department.
CPD has already held one career fair since Turner came in as consultant, and will hold another on Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at CPD headquarters. Turner said recruitment may take time — he wants to be sure hires go through extensive background checks, pass physical exams and are the right people for their jobs — but that his goal is to have “at least eight” new officers enter the Pearl police academy’s next class in May.
The police department now fields about 50 officers of its budgeted roster of 67.
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