TMCnet News
CMPD: Charlotte's crime rate rose 2.8 percent in 2012Jan 23, 2013 (The Charlotte Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Chief Rodney Monroe said Wednesday that the city's overall crime rate rose by 2.8 percent in 2012 fueled, in part, by an increase in robberies and aggravated assaults. The crime statistics were unveiled at a ceremony held at CMPD's Freedom Division, which saw its overall crime rate go down by 3.5 percent. Police said that was the largest decline among CMPD's 13 divisions. The Freedom Division covers 46.1 square miles and serves a portion of west Charlotte, including the Freedom Drive corridor and a number of older neighborhoods in the area. Capt. Gregg Collins said the division and west side of town has "historically been seen as more violent." But he said it was nice to see the year-end stats. "The amount of violence has completely changed," Collins said in an earlier interview. Collins attributes part of the division's success to an intense focus on crime prevention and specialized units that watch crime patterns and histories for certain locations and people. In 2013, Chief Monroe said the department will focus on creating a 24-hour monitoring center for surveillance cameras and microphones the department got during the DNC, as well as work with the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office and judges to focus on repeat offenders. Check back with www.charlotteobserver.com for more on this story. ___ (c)2013 The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) Visit The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) at www.charlotteobserver.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |