COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Columbia Police Department held a media day on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, to showcase its Real-Time Crime Center and introduce new public safety initiatives. The event highlighted expanded surveillance capabilities, specialized patrol units, and a dedicated officer assigned to Finlay Park, the city’s largest and most visited urban park.

At the downtown Real-Time Crime Center, officials demonstrated how the facility supports investigations using ShotSpotter gunfire detection technology and feeds from hundreds of city-owned cameras. Crime analyst Cannon Fulmer said, "We know that when the Real-Time Crime Center helps a detective out with a case that they have a 180% higher likelihood of making arrests in that case." The department has used ShotSpotter since 2019; the system detects gunfire and pinpoints its location within an 82-foot radius, sending alerts directly to officers’ phones within 30 to 45 seconds.

The Columbia Police Department operates more than 200 city-owned camera sites, each equipped with four lenses to provide a 360-degree view. In addition, the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department is adding 19 new camera sites across city parks. A voluntary initiative called the Protected Places Program also allows residents and businesses to register their private security cameras through a portal that takes five to 10 minutes to complete; police cannot access footage without the owner’s permission.

New patrol units were also featured, including an e-bike unit rolled out this year. Officer Nicholas Digristia said, "Mainly we use the e-bikes a lot for Finlay Park because it’s a big area, hard to traverse on foot quickly." The department’s e-bikes can reach speeds of up to 28 miles per hour. Jaliscia Williams was introduced as the dedicated officer for Finlay Park, which received heightened attention after fights disrupted the city’s Juneteenth celebration.

The department has also launched a drone unit, with two officers completing specialized training, and upgraded its body cameras to support two-way communication. Officer Arthur Rease noted, "The way technology is going these days, we had to do something to try and keep up." The department’s mounted patrol unit, which began in November and includes two horses named Dannyboy and Biggen, was also referenced during the event.