CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is strapped with addressing rising homicide and auto theft rates, one community organization is stepping in to respond to smaller crimes.
The East Charlotte Area Patrol has been around for nearly 15 years. Founder Brian Lutes is a former police officer who runs the organization with help from his wife.
Lutes told WCNC Charlotte's Julia Kauffman his workload has gotten much bigger in the last few years.
"I try to visit everybody, but I can’t in one night," Lutes said. "It’s almost impossible to get to every neighborhood requesting help."
Lutes began patrolling the Stonehaven community in 2009 and now cruises in 16 neighborhoods across Charlotte with a repurposed police car.
"When we started it was proactive prevention. Now, we actually respond to a lot more calls," Lutes said.
He said he responds to calls about incidents such as suspicious vehicles, thefts and drunk driving.
"Some people will also call and say they’ve been put on hold with 911 and can I respond to that, and sometimes I'll get there before CMPD," Lutes added.
Lutes' neighbor Richard Warren said having Lutes nearby makes him feel safer. "Some things don’t rise to the level of calling 911 or calling police, but it’s good to have someone there," Warren said.
Lutes' patrol service runs on donations and his care for the community. "People had questions to begin with, but I think over the years, 14 years now, we’ve earned people's trust," he said.
North Carolina laws do not allow citizen arrests, but citizens are allowed to detain people if they believe they’ve committed certain crimes. If someone detains another person, they must immediately notify the police.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.