Tag: NC crime

Charlotte will beef up its Uptown police presence and crack down on minor offenses, city officials announced at a press conference Wednesday.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is launching two initiatives in response to what officials said are public perceptions of danger in the city. Some notable recent incidents in Uptown include a shootout that left one person dead at a club in September. This week a teenager was arrested after a group of people were shot at in Romare Bearden Park.

Critics say the city hasn’t done enough to quell violent crime, with the Fraternal Order of Police last week leading calls for the National Guard to intervene.

One of the new initiatives CMPD will begin this year is CROWN. That’s an acronym for Center City’s Restoration of Order, Wellness and Nonviolence.

Minor infractions can eventually lead to more serious crimes, said Major Gene Lim, the area commander over the southeast part of the city. CROWN will focus on “quality of life crimes” such as panhandling, illegal street vending and other “public disruption crimes,” he said.

Residents can expect to see more officers patrolling the streets and stricter enforcement within a half-mile radius of Trade and Tryon streets in Uptown.

“This is a focused, high-impact effort to immediately shift the environment and perception of our center city,” Lim said. “Disorder will not be tolerated.”

CMPD also recently launched the Entertainment District Unit initiative to address what Lim said are trends of violent crime near bars and nightlife spots. The EDU is a specialized police unit operating at peak nightlife hours around entertainment districts and event venues where Lim said crime is most likely to happen.

Both efforts seek to reduce overall crime and increase police presence. The difference is that CROWN takes a community-wide approach, and EDU is targeted to nightlife, Mayor Pro Tem Dante Anderson said.

“We want to make sure that those minor infractions are stamped out when we see it, that they are addressed, and that we have a very strong presence,” Anderson said. “While our residents enjoy their Uptown life, we want to make sure that it’s a safe environment.”

The initiatives resulted from a safety task force formed in July that included business and nonprofit leaders, city and county officials and CMPD. Anderson said the task force’s work is ongoing, and more initiatives will continue to roll out in the coming weeks.

The safety task force formed before the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a Blue Line light rail in August, but the tragedy galvanized the city’s response to public safety issues. Charlotte already announced policing changes around public transit centers, which included a deal with CMPD to deploy off-duty officers for 966 hours per week to assist the private security company contracted to patrol transit property.

“During COVID, the world needed grace. And we offered it,” said Michael Smith, CEO of Charlotte Center City Partners. “In doing so, I’m concerned that our community has inadvertently relaxed our standards for public safety … We’re seeking to return to the standards that helped define quality of life for residents and guests of our community.”

The safety task force’s initial actions focused on center city, but Smith said they’re looking for “quick wins and enduring results” that can be applied countywide. They’re also working on initiatives that address shelters, housing and mental health, he said.

Center City Partners recently launched a campaign to improve the image of Uptown, where it focuses its work, and transform it from a business-centric district into a destination district.