CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Monday, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released its quarterly report on crime trends for the first three months of 2024.
It's a disappointing start in the Queen City as gun violence continues to shatter communities across the region. So far this year, CMPD is reporting a 1% decrease in violent crime year-to-date compared to last year. It also notes a 4% increase in property crime and a 3% increase in overall crime.
However, it's the deadly shootings that have seen a massive spike. In the first quarter, there were 34 homicides in the Queen City, compared to 26 at the same time last year, up 31%.
“Any homicide is one too many, but 34 in three months is an alarming number,” Deputy Chief Zeru Chickoree said. “We should not tolerate this in a city.”
Another troubling trend is the number of young people CMPD said it is seeing involved in violent crimes in Charlotte.
CMPD is calling on the communities, city leaders, and businesses to take an active role in helping turn these numbers around. The department is also emphasizing the importance of de-escalation so conflicts are not resolved by the trigger.
“Look out for your family and neighbors. We need people to stop and think before they make decisions that shatter lives, both the lives of the victim and the lives of the suspect,” Chickoree said.
Nicolio Mobley knows too well the pain behind a gun.
“Most of the time he’s been with me, my twin, my baby,” Mobley said.
It’s been three months since her 15-year-old grandson was hurt in a shooting in east Charlotte and his friend was killed.
“He is going to have a disability because he is not able to walk. He is paralyzed on one side. So, yeah it is very difficult,” Mobley said. “He is still traumatized [and] I’m still scared for him."
Meanwhile, Mobley said her home is no longer a place of comfort or peace.
“I’m on pins and needles because we don’t know who is going to kick in our door,” Mobley said. “Who is going to try and shoot at us because we don’t know? Yeah, it took a toll on me.”
She wants to see more done to keep guns off the streets, more police patrols and more resources in her community.
“I really feel like the community needs to do something for these kids because once they took away those recreational centers all these kids went downhill."
A closer look at the numbers shows that Charlotte is one of several cities seeing such an increase, while many other cities are seeing double-digit declines in their homicide rates since the pandemic, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The article written by Dan Frosch and Cameron McWhirter said homicides in American cities are falling at the fastest pace in decades, bringing them close to levels they were at before a pandemic-era jump.
The reporters gathered data from police departments around the country.
Despite these promising numbers across the country, CMPD is on the other end of the spectrum, looking to figure out what can be done to reverse this trend.
It's something Lt. Kevin Pietrus said last month when addressing the spike in homicides.
"That's a difficult start to the year," Pietrus said at the time. "We have a lot of work to do and hopefully this is a trend that doesn't continue and won't define the rest of the year for us."
CMPD said reducing homicides and safety is a priority. So far this year, the department has solved 70 % of homicides, outpacing the national average of 50%.
CMPD’s targeted approaches by adding additional patrols in high crime areas are making a difference. For example, Operation Heartbeat in uptown has led to a drop in violent crimes by 13% and 45 arrests so far this year.
CMPD has launched several intervention programs to help kids get back on the right path and stay there. Like the JADE (Juvenile Accountability and Diversion Empowerment) initiative through the program so far this year JADE officers have made 27 home visits.
“When you are talking about kids that are 12 and 13 years old who are committing violent crimes, they are not making the right decisions,” Major Bret Balamucki said. “So the JADE officers’ relationships are really taking hold and really showing commitment on how we can try to divert them away from criminal acts.”
The JADE program also works to connect families with resources. The department also kicked off a mentorship and diversion program for repeat offenders between the ages of 13 and 17, all in an effort to curb crimes involving young people.
The agency said increasing community policing efforts also makes a difference and asked everyone to get in front of what is happening in their neighborhoods.
“Don’t put blinders on to warning signs, if you see suspicious behavior call us first,” Chickoree said.
Contact Richard DeVayne at rdevayne@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.