Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police on Monday discussed a growing problem: While property crime remained flat through June, violent crimes continued to increase, especially homicides.
CMPD officials said overall crime this year is up 1% percent at the year’s halfway mark. However, violent crime is up 8%.
In the first half of the year, police investigated 61 homicides, a 36% increase over the first half of 2023. There have also been nearly 3,000 aggravated assaults and just over 2,000 assaults with a deadly weapon involving a firearm, increases of 9% and 8% respectively. CMPD has increased patrols in areas with frequent incidents, with a focus on seizing illegal firearms.
CMPD also noted that calls for service have gone up by 4% compared to last year. CMPD Deputy Chief David Robinson said it will take a collective effort to reduce crime in the city.
“The increase in gun violence and homicides point to a larger societal problem. It’s going to take much more than the police. It’s going to take, investing in communities and investing in prevention and alternatives to violence, particularly among young people,” he said.
Juvenile crime remains on an uptick: CMPD said there have been nearly 1,700 arrests involving juveniles. That’s a 12% increase compared to the same time last year.
Here are some key crime statistics from CMPD for the first half of 2024:
- Homicides: 61 in the first half of 2024 vs. 45 in 2023
- Rapes: 121 vs. 124 in 2023
- Armed robberies: 413 vs. 429 in 2023
- Residential burglaries: 858 vs. 950 in 2023
- Vehicle thefts: 4,011 vs. 3,731 in 2023
Robinson highlighted one “particularly disturbing” statistic: There have been 12 juveniles charged with homicide this year, compared to three at the same time last year. There have also been seven juvenile homicide victims so far, three more than last year.
Robinson said one problem is that the majority of juveniles arrested are repeat offenders and that it’s especially hard to hold them since Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden closed the county’s juvenile jail facility. Robinson said even when officers press to hold a juvenile, they’re often released quickly to a guardian.
“The number of repeat juvenile offenders has pointed to an undeniable need for more accountability post-arrest and to house juvenile offenders in a detention facility locally. A lack of space to house juveniles should not be an excuse for allowing repeat offenders to rack up dozens or even hundreds of charges by the time they’re 17 years old,” said Robinson. “Due to difficulties obtaining a secure custody order for juvenile suspects, our officers only apply for them in the most serious cases. Already this year, the Department of Juvenile Justice has denied at least 62 secure custody order requests for juvenile offenders.”
