Hyatt Park Neighborhood Association voted in new officers Tuesday, February 7 at their monthly meeting. Gail Baker is the new president; Michael Hill, vice president; Jannie Nelson, treasurer, and Susanna Lanier, secretary. They will begin their terms at the March meeting.

Also on the agenda was Sergeant Ellis Pearson, with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, who compared the crime statistics from 2011 to 2010.

Two categories the sheriff ’s department uses when discussing statistics are violent crimes and property crimes. Violent crimes are murder, rape, robbery, and assault; while property crimes are motor vehicle theft, grand larceny, burglary, or larceny for model. Larceny for model deals with property stolen from a vehicle, while grand larceny is property stolen valued around $1,000.

The violent crimes in Region Three saw a 10.7% decrease in 2011, while property crimes were up 3.6%. The biggest area of concern is burglary.

Columbia Police Officer Adam Champion was concerned about harassment of truck drivers at the Pilot Flying J station on Fairfield Road. Champion urges truck drivers to call 911 with a description of their truck and their location if they are being harassed.

Hyatt Park Neighborhood Association voted to purchase four warning signs for their community from the Columbia Police Department.

The cost to install a warning sign is $26.70.