Linn Police Chief Sam Ford expressed concern about recent criminal activity during the Oct. 19 Board of Aldermen meeting, describing incidents involving firearms, threats, and property damage and requesting a juvenile curfew.

Ford reported two incidents involving State Technical College of Missouri. In the first, a student reportedly was seen wearing holsters in class and admitted bringing firearms onto campus, which Ford said were kept in the student’s vehicle.

“He was arrested for bringing firearms onto school grounds,” Ford said.

In a separate incident, Ford said an individual in a text thread with students and faculty threatened to “shoot up the school tomorrow.”

“We were able to track down the individual, and with a county deputy, we knocked on his door, and he readily admitted that he had made the threat,” Ford explained. “He was interviewed and read his rights, made a full admission, and was arrested for making terrorist threats. It was a hair-raising call.”

Ford praised the cooperation of all the different law enforcement departments to keep everyone safe.

“We had the Osage County Sheriff’s Department, the FBI, the Missouri Highway Patrol, and the Linn Police Department working together,” Ford said. “The school put their protocols in place and they were ultra cooperative. I can honestly say we had him in custody within one and a half hours. We put a plan in action immediately and it all turned out okay.”

Ford said officers searched the individual’s residence and vehicle but did not find any firearms.

Ford also reported gunfire from a residence on Jefferson Street, reportedly directed toward the water tower.

“Our town is proving out our theory that people are moving drugs and weapons into and through our community, and it’s getting pretty bad,” Ford said.

He said that he has been in touch with neighboring towns and counties where they are seeing similar problems. “I want people to know we are aware of what is going on, we have a fair idea of where it is originating, and it’s going to be a manhunt for a while,” Ford said.

He also noted that for the foreseeable future, the Linn Police Department has two patrol cars on duty every night.

Ford reported that all Linn officers have recently attended an active shooter class. “We are aware of what is going on, and we are being proactive,” Ford said. “We are working pretty hard.”

City Attorney Cathy Zacharias asked aldermen for guidance on a proposed 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. juvenile curfew, which Ford requested in response to concerns about theft and property damage. Ford also expressed concern about suspected drug activity in town.

Zacharias noted that aldermen needed to consider exceptions for school events, employment, and other things. “We’ve got to get the right exceptions there, and we need your thoughts on the timing,” Zacharias said.

“What this is for, is that we have groups of kids walking the streets all summer long, trying door handles on vehicles and stealing stuff,” Ford said. “We’ve got to have some teeth for these kids we deal with over and over again that have caused thousands of dollars in damage to our parks, bathrooms, and people’s personal property.”

Aldermen discussed pushing the time back to 11 p.m. and what exemptions might be included.

Ford said officers would be reminded to exercise discretion when enforcing a curfew, including recognizing legitimate reasons for juveniles to be outside their homes. He said groups of juveniles had been checking vehicle doors and stealing property.

Ford said he wanted the proposed ordinance to make the rules and potential consequences clear to juveniles and their parents.

Zacharias noted that it’s hard for an ordinance violation of curfew to be a big deterrent and that as far as punishing the parents, it is hard to prove that the parents were aware the juvenile was outside the home.

Ford said police believe some criminal activity involves individuals from outside Osage County, citing a recent encounter with a person from Cole County.

He said that individual had been seen with a person Ford associated with the reported shooting toward the water tower. Ford characterized the situation as more serious than isolated petty theft.

Ford also described an incident involving a bullet entering a residence, which he characterized as a drive-by shooting. He expressed concern about the possibility of further violence.

Zacharias will have a curfew ordinance drafted for the next meeting.

Ford reported that four officers were assigned to a recent Linn football game as a precautionary measure.

He said the additional police presence was effective and no problems were reported in his account.

Ford also reported that the Linn Police Department received a $700 gift card from Harbor Freight and expressed his gratitude.