RCSD and Columbia Police give update on Gun and Crime initiative

COLUMBIA,SC (WOLO)- The Richland County sheriff’s and Columbia police department have worked together for a year on a crime initiative, but is it working?

So far 74 arrest have been made and more than 1,400 guns have been taken off the streets. Sheriff Leon Lott and Columbia Police chief Skip Holbrook say that’s from the success of the Gun and Violent Crime Reduction initiative.

“We go out and we get people who are breaking the law, whose got illegal guns, and who are committing crimes in our community,” Lott said.

While homicide rates have gone up in Columbia, Holbrook says people getting hit by bullets have gone down by 20%.

“We really focus on those aggravated assaults with firearms and we are seeing positive results,” Holbrook said.

The initiative is being credited for taking illegal guns off the street. There were 922 guns stolen this year, which is a slight difference from the 1029 that were stolen the year prior.

Officials are hoping that this task force will change that, and that community involvement is key.

“One thing about Columbia and Richland county people will call law enforcement,” Lott said. “They trust us, they believe in us, they call us and let us know when somebody breaks the law.”