CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte City Council’s Safe Communities Committee met Wednesday, taking preliminary steps to form a plan to address the violence in the city.
The committee is looking at combining city, county, partners, and the community to work together to reduce violence, increase economic opportunity, and build healthier, more resilient communities.
RELATED: Charlotte looks at possible solution for violent crime, but how has it worked in other cities?
Some of the building blocks that council may use to form this plan include a community collaborative approach in priority areas, implementing a violence interruption program, investing in community-led efforts, and using data and evidence.
This comes after there were 107 homicides in Charlotte in 2019 -- the most since 1993. City leaders have been looking over data from 2019 crime to determine next steps.
RELATED: City leaders scan over violence data in search of long-term solutions to Charlotte's homicide rate
“I think if we really want to wrap our hands around it and have a long-term solution, now is the time,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Kerr Putney said.
Some of the expected outcomes from creating a plan like this could include violence reduction, healthier neighborhoods, increased access and awareness of youth and family programs and services, and increase community capacity.