Chief Holbrook Releases Internal Affairs Report

Columbia , S.C. (WOLO) — On Thursday, the Columbia Police Department released an Internal Affairs Report for 2014. Chief Skip Holbrook announced the reports findings Thursday and said he was satisfied with the report. “The numbers are absolutely incredible,” said Chief Holbrook. Chief Holbrook was encouraged Thursday as he announced the findings of last year’s internal report, a compilation of data that highlighted many areas the Department saw improvements. “What this report reflects to me is that we are making remarkably good decisions, almost all the time,” Chief Holbrook said. Many of the numbers went down. In 2014, the report said the department received a little more than 168,000 calls for service, made just over 7,000 arrests and reported 108 use of force incidents. “If you look at the number of citizen contacts and just look at it in terms of how many times we use force, that shows to me restraint, good decision making, de-escalation, and good communication,” explained Chief Holbrook. Chief Holbrook said the department published the report to build trust and transparency with the community, a need he recognized when he attended a forum after the events of Ferguson. “It was difficult, it was a difficult topic but it really resonated with me and what struck me was there was a disconnect and we needed to bridge that disconnect,” said Chief Holbrook. An effort Mayor Steve Benjamin commended, during a time he said citizens trust in law enforcement across the country is being eaten away. “This job that these men and women do, it’s not easy, it takes a lot of courage, it takes a lot of integrity and it takes a lot of the peoples trust in order to do their job effectively,” said Mayor Benjamin. “That’s what accountable, transparent leadership is about.” Despite taking pride in the reports findings, Chief Holbrook said there is still room for improvement, more deeply examining use of force incidents and ensuring unbiased policing is in place are at the top of that list.