Crime In Charlotte, NC

From the CMPD website:

A juvenile victim reported that he went to use a restroom at the Red Robin restaurant located at located at 3415 Torringdon Way and was inside a stall when an unknown suspect, using a cellular telephone, took a photograph of him using the bathroom. The restaurant management staff was notified but the unknown suspect was able to get away without any further information obtained.

The suspect is described as a white male in his mid 50's with salt and pepper hair. He is approximately 5'11-6'0 and weighs about 210 lbs. The suspect also was wearing gold rimmed glasses and all black clothing. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

The Charlotte Observer reported about Scott Yamanashi- a man who survived a shooting at the Snug Harbor bar. He is starting an armed patrol in his community. Mr. Yamanashi formed the group called Neighborhood Watch Alliance, which is comprised of some of his friends from businesses off Central Avenue.

He said the plan is for the group to patrol the Central Avenue area with handguns, flashlights and notepads. "We can lurk in the shadows, watch people and report what we see,” he said. “That's not against the law.”

Yamanashi said his group plans to get T-shirts and walk through the business district. They will take notes about criminal activity and report it to police. Not all members will be armed but those who have permits to conceal their handguns likely will. His group wants to be the 'eyes and ears” for the police. Eventually he'd like to raise money to buy radios so the group and business owners can communicate, he said.

Read more news on the topic@ WCNC News & The Charlotte Observer

CMPD receives over 50,000 requests each year for police response to alarm calls. Of those responses, 98% are determined false. To reduce the number of false alarms that CMPD responds to and allow the officers to concentrate on other areas of crime prevention and law enforcement- REGISTER YOUR ALARM every year!

In 1996, the Charlotte City Council and the Mecklenburg County Commissioners found that the excessive false alarms unduly burden the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and waste limited police resources. They adopted the Alarm Ordinance to establish reasonable expectations of alarm users and to ensure that alarm users are held responsible for their use of alarm systems.

Failure to register your alarm could result in a $50- $500 fine and police will no longer respond to your alarm calls!

Alarm Permit Resources: (Mecklenburg County)
- Printable Alarm Application (PDF)
- Apply online for a permit
- Renew an existing permit online
- Pay Alarm Fines Online

An important organization in Charlotte that I strongly suggest you support is The April Five Organization. Please do your part to help injured CMPD Officers!

The April Five Organization was founded in January by CMPD Officer Kayvan Hazrati and his wife Heidi. Officer Hazrati was shot in the head by a criminal while serving a warrant on April 6, 2006. He survived the attack but continues to suffer from chronic pain and other injures he suffered during the shooting.

April Five's VISION:
April Five will assist officers after an injury in the line of duty. We will facilitate the obtaining and sharing information regarding disability and workers’ compensation. We strive to support sworn CMPD officers in need due to an injury through emotional, material and financial ways. We will also simplify life for these officers through our volunteer work and support systems.

April Five’s volunteers will help recovering officers with:

• Household chores
• Financial assistance with medical bills, personal expenses and lost wages
• Pro-bono services and medical/legal contacts
• A place to meet others who have been through a similar situation and share your experiences

SUPPORT APRIL FIVE:

There are many ways you can assist the organization and the officers in need. We hope you consider joining our volunteer force and give back to these officers who have given so much for us.

• Volunteer – These people are needed for grocery shopping, yard work, pet care, cleaning, food preparation, rides to the doctor, errands and whatever else an officer or their family could use to make life a bit easier.
• Pro-Bono Services – Can you donate your time and your talent to us? We are in need of professionals to either give their services at no cost or a discounted rate to the organization. We are looking for therapists, doctors, lawyers, financial planners, insurance information assistance and a multitude of other services to help the officers in need. If you can give other services or material donations to help the organization, we want to hear from you as well.
• Sub-Committee Members – These individuals will assist the board in executing their duties. This involves everything from event planning and execution to data entry. We will be posting needs here in the future for vacancies that need to be filled. All volunteers are subject to a background check and application for service.
• Donate - Your tax deductible donation can be mailed to: Great Balls of Fire Inc. c/o W.D. Graham, 3500-400 Latrobe Drive, Charlotte, NC 28205 *Make sure you write "Kayvan – A5" in the memo area*

Some gas stations have calibrated their pumps to show more gas had been pumped than a person actually got.

To check a pump to see if you are getting the right amount: Whichever grade you are using, put EXACTLY 10 GALLONS in your tank, then look at the dollar amount, if the dollar amount is not EXACTLY 10 times the price of the fuel you have chosen, then the pumps are rigged.

For example, if the mid-grade was $3.71 9/10 per gallon, my dollar amount for 10 gallons should have been $37.19. It doesn't matter where you pump gas, please check the 10 gallon price.

If you find a station that is cheating consumers, please contact the North Carolina Agriculture Department at 919-733-3313.

On Saturday morning, I learned of a new organization in Charlotte called "Neighbors For a Safer Charlotte."

One of the organization's founders is a mother of three young children who was attacked by a man outside a YMCA last December. She is determined to bring citizens and neighborhoods together to demand action and become part of the Charlotte crime solution! I do not know much about the organization except for what is on their website but it sounds like an organization we should all support and become a part of!

From the NSC Website:

"If we truly want to be a World Class City, then citizens and city leaders must be open to self-inspection, and find innovative solutions to make our community a safer place to live and work.

Now is the time to to take responsibility. We must demand that our collective voice be heard. By partnering with Public and Private sector City Leaders, Law Enforcement agencies, and Neighborhood Associations, Neighbors For a Safer Charlotte will addresses these issues, working to find solutions to improving the sense of security for all citizens in Charlotte."

Neighbors for a Safer Charlotte is asking ALL neighborhood leaders and concerned citizens to join them on April 28th at the Charlotte City Council Meeting at 6:30pm at the Government Center.

The goal is to encourage widespread participation in this televised meeting to let our city leaders know the 'status quo' is no longer acceptable. In addition, Charlotte is selecting a new Chief of Police and we want our voice to be heard in this selection process. NSC hopes you will come to this important meeting and you are encouraged to spread the word.

Don't assume your neighbors or others are representing your interests. If you care and are concerned about crime in Charlotte, your participation is needed in this important meeting!

NOTE: On May 13th, the organizers of Neighbors for a Safer Charlotte will hold a public meeting to bring together neighborhood leaders from all parts of the city to address the state of crime in Charlotte. At the meeting, we will share the information we have collected, articulate community concerns to our elected officials, and explain the mission of Neighbors for a Safer Charlotte.

The following information was sent by a North Tryon Division Sergeant on March 25th:

We have had several convenience stores get robbed by the same suspects over this past weekend. The next paragraph describes our suspects. If your business happens to get robbed, I encourage you to close business immediately. Do not allow customers to come inside after the suspect leaves the scene. This will protect any evidence the suspect may have left behind.

Please encourage any customers/witnesses to stay at the scene until police arrive. Do not touch anywhere the suspect may have touched. Please check your security cameras to ensure they are working and actually have a new tape inside. Don’t allow subjects to loiter around your business. Call 911 if you see suspicious activity that may be related to this.

In three of the these cases, the suspect is described as a black male, 25 yrs old 5’5 to 5’7”, 130-150 lbs (skinny), wearing black pants, a black hooded sweatshirt and something dark over the lower portion of his face. He is armed with a small black handgun and is jumping or going behind the counters. No one has seen a suspect vehicle in any of these cases and we have very little to go on. The fourth case involves two teenage black males, one with a gray hooded sweatshirt with “9”s all over it.

All of the businesses continued business and let customer/witnesses come and go prior to police arrival. **NOT GOOD** Thanks for all your cooperation and let’s work together to stop these incidents from happening.

The following information was sent to citizens who live in the CMPD Westover Division area:

RE: Park West Drive & Selwyn Farms Community Concerns

First, let me start by thanking everyone for continuing to bring your concerns to our attention. Over the last week or so I have received emails relating to your concerns about burglaries in your area and police response times. As the Commander of the Westover Division I share your concerns regarding criminal activity in your neighborhoods and will your address your concerns in this memorandum.

Property crimes relating to burglaries and larceny from auto continue to present great challenges for the CMPD. The Westover Division encompasses 16.5 square miles of Charlotte residential and business areas with the main corridors being South Boulevard, West Boulevard, Tyvola Road, Park Road, and Woodlawn Road.

Over the last 28 days the Westover Division has experienced a 25% increase in all property crimes with a 77% increase in residential burglaries, which translates into 23 additional burglaries from the previous 28 day period.

The trends relating to your particular neighborhoods indicate that for Selwyn Farms, over the last twelve month period there has been a total of (6) residential burglaries with (3) of those burglaries occurring within the last month. Park West Drive has had (4) residential burglaries within the last twelve month period, all of which have occurred this year.

It appears that most of the burglaries are occurring during the day when the homeowners are at work, and most involve someone forcibly entering the residence through a door or window. Again, I share your concerns regarding these incidents and I along with the officers and detectives assigned to the Westover Division are working diligently to address your concerns.

The Westover burglary detectives and I have had at length conversations with several of you as it relates to the burglary issues in your neighborhoods and these conversations have resulted in the exchange of valuable information which we believe may lead to future arrests.

In those conversations I also realized that there needs to be some clarification as to the difference between a “Robbery” and a “Burglary.”

“Robbery” is classified as a crime against person and is defined as a crime in which:
· A person commits a larceny from a person or from a person’s presence by violence or intimidation (the violence or intimidation involved can be as simple as pushing someone to the ground or the use of a firearm).

“Burglary” is classified as a property crime and is defined as a crime in which:
· A person breaks and enters without consent the dwelling house, sleeping area or any other building within the curtilage or dwelling of another with the intent to commit any felony or larceny.

I think this clarification needs to be made so that when future e-mails are sent citizens are not confusing the two. I am currently researching the police dispatch issues pertaining to the 3/11/08, burglary incident on Park West Drive where it was indicated that there was a 25 -minute delayed police response to a burglary in progress. As soon as the incident is properly researched I will provide you with an update.

We in the Westover Division appreciate your continued community concern and efforts relating to community safety and we look forward to continuing to work with you. I suggest that in the immediate future we all plan to meet and discuss these community issues and how to better address them.

I urge you to continue to be the watchful eyes of your respective neighborhoods and please don’t hesitate to continue contacting us with reports of suspicious activity or with questions. I assure you that we are working diligently to address and prevent crime not just in your neighborhoods but in all of the neighborhoods serviced by the Westover Division.

The following was written by a crime victim who experienced something this week that you'd never think would happen!

Unfortunately, the criminals are everywhere and they'll go to extreme measures to get what they want!!

I want to tell all of you about a horrible experience I had yesterday afternoon... I met a friend at 11:30 at Ilios Noche, a restaurant located on Providence Road near 485 in the Harris Teeter shopping center. As soon as lunch was over, around 12:30, I got in my truck and drove directly home. As I pulled in the driveway, I attempted to use my garage door opener which is always left on the visor but I couldn't find it.

I assumed, for the moment, that it had fallen out of the truck and then began looking for my cell phone which I couldn't seem to locate either. Then, it occurred to me that my car had been broken into and, sure enough, I got back out of the car to find that the lock assembly had been pried open and was broken. This same thing happened to me Christmas 2006 in the Kohl's parking lot in Pineville. So, needless to say, I was quite perturbed!

At the same time, I was thinking that this time wasn't so bad because I was smart enough not to leave my camera, petty cash, etc. in the car like last time. I immediately called my husband, who was traveling in Raleigh for the day. He told me that he had an extra key on his truck which was parked in the driveway and where it was located. By this time, several of my neighbors were with me, thank goodness.

I finally got the key from his truck, opened his door and got his remote garage door opener. As I opened the garage, I immediately noticed that the door was open leading into the house and the light was on. So, I'm now completely hysterical and panicking.

The people who had stolen my garage door opener way out near 485 had already been to my house, robbed it, shut the garage door back down and left! I went back to my truck, looked in the glove box and noticed that the registration was missing. So, clearly, they had GPS'd my address off the registration and drove directly out here..... all while I was having lunch with a friend. Of course, I called 911 and two policemen came to the house and pulled there weapons to search inside while my neighbors and I waited outside. Luckily, they were already gone.

Needless to say, it has been a very sleepless night. I'm rehearsing all the 'what-if's' in my head. My husband works out of the house and just happened to be gone yesterday. A lot of times, he doesn't answer the door if he's tied up on the phone. I'm sure if he had heard the garage open, he would have assumed it was me. In this case, it wasn't...

My husband actually mentioned to me last night that he still would have pulled in the driveway if he was on his way home even if he saws a strange vehicle sitting in the driveway. He would have assumed it was someone visiting me. My kids had a very tough time going to sleep last night, needless to say. As most of you know, we've already had a truck stolen from our driveway several years ago. They can't wrap their little minds around why people keep doing these things to us!

I'm sending this to you because we made some mistakes here at home. My door leading from the garage into the house was not locked and the alarm wasn't set. Maybe it would have made a difference, maybe not. After my car was broken into at Kohl's in 2006, I started taking our dog with me. He was with me yesterday and wasn't a deterrent. For those of you who know my dog, you know he's just a "looker"---all bark, no bite!

Ladies, PLEASE be careful and precautions out there. Clearly, I was being watched in that parking lot yesterday. As a result of this incident, we've had to suspend our checking account, etc., disable the garage doors and have a security company coming out today. Consider hiding your garage door openers or carrying them with you. Neighbors also need to be on their toes about whose coming and going. If you see something suspicious, jot down a license plate.

A Sergeant in the CMPD Providence Division sent the following information regarding several recent robberies from person involving females being targeted and their purses taken.

On two different occasions, women have been surprised while exiting their vehicles at their homes. In the first incident, a male suspect approached the woman as she exited her vehicle in the Stonebridge area. Another suspect waited nearby in a vehicle. The suspect was armed with a knife but did not harm the victim. A tag number was obtained but the tag did not match the car described.

In the second incident, the victim had been out shopping and was approached by the suspect as she exited her car in the Freedom Park area. She was shoved to the ground and no weapon was shown. The two suspects in both of those instances were black males driving a small red car, possibly a Toyota.

Police say they have also been informed of residents in the Stonebridge area and Myers Park observing suspicious persons that are very similar to those described above, but they have been seen in different vehicle types. One was described as a white Mercury Topaz and the other a white Buick Skylark.

In the past three days, police have responded to two other instances of women having their purses taken from them by a black male and female driving a small red, 4-door car- which may be a Toyota Tercel.

The first victim was approached and asked for directions. While standing near the car, the male grabbed her purse and the two suspects drove away. This happened in the Pinehurst Apartment Complex.

In the second instance, a male grabbed the victim’s purse while she walked down the sidewalk in the Elizabeth neighborhood. He then jumped into the suspect vehicle and sped away.

At this time, police do not have enough information to say if all of these incidents, some of these incidents, or none are related. CMPD is diligently investigating all of these incidents. As always, please call 911 whenever you observe anything suspicious.

CMPD encourages all residents to be mindful of vehicles that may travel behind them for an extended period of time, especially if they follow you down side streets and neighborhood streets that normally have little traffic.

CMPD SAFETY TIPS: If you believe there may be someone following you, do not drive down cul-de-sacs or streets with no outlet. Do not stop at your home. If you are close to a commercial establishment, such as a gas station, stop there and park as close to the entrance as possible. A place with other people around is what you’re looking for.

Another tactic would be to make a series of unlikely turns, essentially “circling the block.” If the vehicle continues to make the same series of odd turns, you can follow the suggestion above about going to a populated location and/or use a cell phone if available to call 911. If you call 911, remain on the line with the operator so we can be updated on your location.

When walking on a sidewalk or in a parking lot, always be aware of your surroundings. Hold your purse tightly. Be mindful of the deceptive tactic mentioned above of asking for directions or any attempts to lure you close to a vehicle.

In the past few years, the Mecklenburg County Jail has experienced a tremendous growth in inmate population and jail overcrowding. As of October 29th, the Mecklenburg County Jail held 2,699 adult inmates and 102 juvenile inmates.

- March 2007: Mecklenburg County Jail Chronic Offender Study

CMPD sent out the following crime alert today:

CRIME ALERT - SOUTH DIVISION
Burglary and Larceny From Auto - Carmel & Johnston Road Area

In July, the South Division has experienced several residential burglaries and larceny from autos, including seven within the past three days around Carmel Crossing Condos. Most of these occurred during the afternoon hours while residents were not home.

Police are investigating several leads however; we need your help. Anyone who may have seen a suspicious person or vehicle in the area should call Burglary Detectives or 911.

Crime Prevention Tips:

• Lock all doors and windows when you are not home.
• Close blinds or curtains so thieves cannot observe property inside your home.
• Have mail and newspaper delivery stopped or picked up by a neighbor if out of town and have a neighbor check on your place daily.
• Please report all suspicious persons or vehicles to 911 immediately

Mayor Pat McCrory sent the following e-mail to those of us who participated in the Caravan to Raleigh in February. He shared some important updates about our efforts:

Dear Caravan to Raleigh Participants:

I wanted to give you an update on how our efforts in February during the Caravan to Raleigh for Public Safety is still building support in Raleigh.

Last week, at the invitation of NC Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, he invited Police Chief Darrel Stephens, Sheriff Jim Pendergraph, District Attorney Peter Gilchrist; and me (I called it the “carpool” to Raleigh) to meet with him as a follow-up to the Caravan to Raleigh. It was a great opportunity for the four of us to continue to represent your concerns and that of all citizens of Charlotte-Mecklenburg to the Senate leadership. Also in the meeting were Senators from Mecklenburg County, the Administrative Office of the Courts officials, NC Senate Criminal Justice Appropriators; and various staff .

After sharing our latest statistics of overcrowded jails, crime rates, arrest records, and examples of serious repeat offenders, Senator Basnight suggested that the Senate explore increasing the court costs that the State mostly keeps and uses for the general fund and direct it to the criminal justice system. I like his approach to raise new revenue from law violators. It was suggested the increase could amount to an additional $25 million per year.

Our challenge is to make sure the money goes where it is most needed. Additionally, Senator Basnight was unaware that assaulting a police officer is not always prosecuted as a felony. He is open to changing this law to ensure it will be prosecuted as a felony.

Finally, Judge Ralph Walker, Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, volunteered to redirect resources and provide overtime staff support to help us address our case backlog for the next six months. This is a very welcomed suggestion from the man in charge of allocating discretionary resources.

In summary, your efforts to participate in the Caravan to Raleigh for Public Safety have created a new awareness of the need for more state assistance for the Criminal Justice System. Thank you again for being engaged in this issue -- and we can't let up. Please keep sending those calls and emails to state legislators and the media. Your efforts are working!

Sincerely,
Pat McCrory
Mayor