Crime In Charlotte, NC

The following crime statistics were released by CMPD on April 22, 2008:

Following four months of a declining crime trend- both property and violent crime increased in March 2008. Compared to February, violent crime was up 11% (59 more crimes) and property crime was up 11.3% (416 more crimes) Compared to the same period last year:

• As of March 31, 2008- 20 cases were classified as homicides, compared to 19 last year.
• Robberies have increased 15.1%
• Aggravated Assaults have increased 16.8%
• Burglaries have increased 8.3%. (Residential burglaries have increased 17.8% while commercial burglaries decreased by 14%)
• Reports of vehicle thefts have increased 8.2%
• Larceny from Auto (which comprised 1/3 of all index crimes) increased 27%, while the second largest larceny category (Larceny-Other) showed a decrease this year of 4.2%
• 2,310 index cases were cleared in the first three months of 2008- almost 10% more than the cases cleared in the same three months last year
• Arrests are up 9.5% overall and 16.4% for those who have committed property crimes

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is taking a number of steps to address the increase in crime:

1. Aggressively focusing on the repeat offenders who are committing the majority of crime
   Conducting field interviews with people (Up 10% this year to date over last)
2. Increasing zone checks (Up 106% this year over last) to provide increased visibility
   Continuing focus on crime hot spots
3. Working with residents to establish neighborhood watch programs and evaluating crime prevention options with homeowners
4. Emphasizing crime prevention steps people can take to reduce larcenies from autos by not leaving items of value inside a vehicle
5. Addressing quality of life concerns that can contribute to crime (abandoned houses, lighting, trash and untended fields and yards)
6. Developing options for making cases against those who commit property crimes that will result in increased penalties (higher bonds, monitoring upon release, jail time)

CMPD LINKS:
- Overall Crime Index Report for March 2008
- Overall and Division Summary Report for March 2008
- 2007 Year-End Report -- Overall and Division Summary
- 2007 Crime and Safety Report
- CMPD Crime Statistics Archive

CMPD provided the following information on 12/20/07:

• Violent index crimes decreased by -5.2% while property crimes rose by 4%.
• Homicides were down nearly -20% through the of November (see year-to-date information below)
• Robberies were holding just about even; -.02% reduction compared to the same period in 2006
• Rapes decreased -21.5%
• Aggravated assaults were down -7.4%
• Burglaries decreased by -5.4% with residential break-ins accounting for most of the increase (11.6%)
• While vehicle thefts dropped -17.7%, larcenies increased 14.5% over last year. Continuing the year's trend, thefts from vehicles is the primary factor, up 23.3%
• Arrests by CMPD officers were down slightly; -1.9% compared to the same period last year
• Traffic collisions in the first ten months of 2006 showed a small increase (0.8%), however, fatal accidents showed a decline with 53 crashes and 59 deaths this year compared to 59 crashes with 61 deaths last year
• CMPD officers issued 13.4% more citations this year, including a 22.9% increase in citations for hazardous traffic violations

2007 Homicides: 67
Circumstances: 12 Domestic; 5 Drugs; 17 Argument; 9 Robbery, 23 undetermined, 1 Gang Related
Victims: 45 Black; 13 White; 9 Hispanic
Identified Suspects: 35 Black; 8 White; 3 Hispanic
Weapons: 52 firearms; 11 knife; 2 physical force; 2 strangulation
Location: 37 outside & 30 inside

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police announced the January 2007 crime statistics today. Overall, the number of violent crimes was 9% lower than the same month last year. Property crimes were slightly higher by 2%.

* CMPD Monthly Summary Report (01/07)
* CMPD Crime Statistics by Division (01/07)

■ Nine homicides were reported compared to seven in January last year
■ Robberies were down by 13.5%
■ Rape decreased by 23%
■ Aggravated assaults declined by 6%
■ Burglaries dropped 12% with most of the decrease evident in commercial cases
■ Vehicle thefts were down 23%
■ Larceny drove the increase in property crime; the most significant portion of the increase was in larceny from auto, up 19 % compared to same month last year
■ Arrests were down slightly (2%) compared to the same month last year
■ Traffic collisions were up 3.8% compared to last January, but fatal crashes were down (4 crashes with 5 deaths this year; 6 crashes with 7 deaths last January)

The Charlotte Observer published an article today about the growing amount of crime in Charlotte over the past two years. I'm not posting the entire article, but it is worth the read.

We all know crime in Charlotte has taken a turn for the worse in the past two years-- but did you know that Charlotte-Mecklenburg's homicide rate is nearly twice the average of large urban areas nationwide, according to FBI crime statistics? It is. Charlotte-Mecklenburg had about 11 slayings per 100,000 population the past two years, while metropolitan areas averaged 6 per 100,000 last year.

Homicide victims in 2006 ranged in age from a 19-month-old toddler to a 70-year-old woman. The African American community was hit especially hard. 71% of this year's homicide victims were black- even though African Americans only make up 29% of Mecklenburg County's population.

Crime nationwide has decreased since the peaks of the late 1980's and early 1990's when crack reigned. That trend held true in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, where violent slayings veered downward even as the population boomed. In 2004, Charlotte celebrated the lowest homicide rate in a decade, with only 60 slayings. However, just one year after the celebrated low, we experienced a dramatic leap with 85 slayings in 2005. We've seen 83 murders thus far in 2006.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police held a press conference today to release the preliminary crime statistics for 2006.

As of today, the number of murders in Charlotte is down by 2. In 2005, 85 people were killed in Charlotte. So far, in 2006, 83 people were murdered. Keep in mind, the murder rate in 2005 was at a 10 year high. Police also said that out of the 83 murder victims, at least 50 of the victims had an arrest record.

Police say 25 of the homicides are classified as from an undetermined cause, 22 were the result of an argument, 16 were domestic related, 15 were killed during a robbery and 5 are considered drug related murders. Police say they have identified 66 suspects in the homicide cases and they say 46 of the suspects have a prior criminal record.

Police say the number of rapes have increased by 11% from 2005. Burglaries are up nearly 8% and the number of vehicle thefts are up 3% compared to 2005.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officials say they are seeing a sharp increase in amount of juvenile arrests. “The arrests for juveniles, aged 16 and 17 are up significantly- and for all categories, including violent & property crimes,” said Deputy Chief Ken Miller.

Juvenile arrests for robbery are up 40% from 2005. Juvenile burglary arrests are up 20% and drug arrests up 47% compared to 2005. Here is the real kicker... juvenile arrests for weapons charges are up 98%! Miller said CMPD confiscated 132 weapons from juveniles in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools this year.

More Info: WSOC-TV, WCNC, WBTV

Morgan Quitno Press has ranked Charlotte, NC the 8th most dangerous city (among cities with a population of at least 500,000.) Overall, they rank Charlotte 43rd out of 371 as most dangerous city. Last year, Charlotte was ranked the 10th most dangerous city and moved up two notches this year.

CMPD does not agree with the ranking and says the research company did not consider all the variables involved in determining this number. CMPD says "These rankings lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting cities and counties, along with their residents."

Today, CMPD Chief Darrel Stephens held a press conference to address this issue. He said, "The extent to which we enjoy a safe community depends on everybody in the community accepting some responsibility for helping deal with the environment and the situations that help create crime."

In my opinion, it doesn't matter if Charlotte ranks #8 or #28 as most dangerous city. It is pretty obvious we have a serious crime problem here in Charlotte. It is time someone steps up to the plate and does something about it!

On Friday night, Highway Patrolmen and Mecklenburg County sheriff's deputies handed out 80 traffic citations at a DUI checkpoint on NC 49 at UNC Charlotte.

* 6 DWI's
* 6 driving while license revoked violations
* 6 speeding violations
* 21 no operator's license violations
* 41 other violations.

The checkpoint ran for 2 and a half hours- from 11:30 pm to 3 am.

Source: Charlotte Observer

According to The Charlotte Observer, police have released crime statistics for February 2006.

Police in Mecklenburg County are having a tough time keeping up with burglars, car thieves and drunk drivers. Overall, the crime index continues to drop in Charlotte.

Robbery: For the second straight month, police reported a big drop in rate of armed robberies -- a crime they have been targeting for several months. In February, the first month during which the new Street Crimes Task Force has been in operation, the robbery rate was down 26.7 percent from February 2005.
Homicide: The homicide rate was generally even, with 11 in the first two months of the year, compared to 10 in January and February a year ago.

Traffic: Police report 12 deaths in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police coverage area in the first two months of this year, compared to seven in the same period last year. "Many of these have been due to people drinking and driving," said Deputy Police Chief Nina Wright. She said police have stepped up patrols and have increased the number of citations and arrests against drunk drivers.Police also are concerned about burglary and auto theft.

Burglary: The burglary rate is up 9.2 percent for the first two months of the year, over the same period a year ago.

Auto Theft: The auto theft rate has increased 7.1 percent over the same time frame. Police say the Honda Accord, especially from 1997 to 1997, remains the No. 1 target of car thieves in the area, followed by the Honda Civic and the Ford Explorer.

2005 Statistics in Perspective

As released by Police Chief Darrel W. Stephens

The police department recently released the 2005 year end crime statistics to the news media. Stories appeared that day and the next that focused almost exclusively on the increases in homicide and robberies. These are serious crimes that affect the community and certainly should be the subject of news media focus and public concern. The complexity of crime combined with available time and space seem to preclude a more in-depth examination of these two crimes and the six others that make up the FBI Uniform Crime Report Index. I want to try to provide more insight into crime in Charlotte-Mecklenburg by adding a perspective that has not been included in stories about crime in 2005.

• It is important for the community to know that the overall crime rate declined by 2% in 2005 over 2004.
• The violent crime rate (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) increased by 6.4%
  Property crime (burglary, larceny, auto theft, arson) declined by 3.3%.

The crime rate is the number of crimes per 100,000 population. It is used to account for population changes and as a simplistic benchmark with other cities. With Charlotte-Mecklenburg's enormous population growth, the rate provides a better perspective on crime.

We are very concerned about the increase in the violent crime rate in 2005 and have taken steps we hope will turn it around. The increase is driven primarily by the dramatic upswing in armed robbery which also adds to fear in the community. Public concern about violence is critical - the most effective ways of reducing it requires community involvement. Better understanding of violent crime in Charlotte-Mecklenburg may also help in dealing with fear. Consider:

Homicide
In 2004 the rate was 8.6 - the lowest in 30 years
In 2005 the rate jumped to 11.9 - the first increase since 1999 when the rate was 13.7, still well below the peak of 28.7 in 1991

It is a complex crime- In most cases, the victim and suspect are family members, intimately involved or at least know each other. Many victims are engaged in high-risk lifestyles in which violence is all too common. The solutions to reducing homicide and other violent encounters are wide ranging but addressing drug/alcohol abuse and improving conflict resolution skills would help considerably.

Robbery
The robbery rate increased from 400.6 in 2004 to 511.5 in 2005.
The highest rate was in 1989 at 1244.7 and the lowest was 217.5 in 1980.

2005 is the highest rate we have experienced since 1995
The department made 12% more arrests for robbery in 2005 but that did not have the needed impact. Two additional programs - Street Crimes Task Force and Billboards featuring wanted suspects - have been launched as well as stepped up efforts to educate citizens and business owners about crime prevention techniques.

The CMPD's mission is to develop problem solving partnerships to prevent crime and improve the quality of life. We have learned over the years from both research and experience that the most effective long term solutions to crime and other policing problems must involve the community.