The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department completed 2008 with the lowest number of crimes committed since 2003 and the lowest crime rate per capita since the merger between the City of Charlotte Police Department and the Mecklenburg County Police Department in 1994.The CMPD started the First Quarter of 2008 with an increase in crime of 12.4 % compared to the same quarter in the previous year.
-Violent crime increased 15.3%.
-Property crime increased 11.9%.
Index crime year-to-date increased 12.4% by the end of the quarter. The Second Quarter also showed an increase of 3.3 % compared to the same quarter in the previous year.
-Violent crime increased 2.1%.
-Property crime increased 3.4%.
Index crime year-to-date increased 7.5% by the end of the quarter.The Third Quarter showed a decrease of 17.3 % compared to the same quarter in the previous year.
- Violent crime decreased 13.5%.
-Property crime decreased 17.9%
Index crime year-to-date decreased -1.8% by the end of the quarter.The Fourth Quarter showed a decrease of 23.8% compared to the same quarter in the previous year.
Violent crime decreased 8.2%.
-Property crime decreased 25.8%.
-Index crime for 2008 decreased 7.8% compared to 2007.
Currently 12 out of 13 Patrol Divisions are showing a decrease in Index crime; 34 of 39 Response Areas are showing a reduction in crime. In the 7.8% decrease in 2008, violent crime was down by 2.3%, while the number of property crimes declined by 8.5%.
Annual trends in the violent crime categories were mixed:
-Criminal homicides were up by 10.7% while aggravated assaults increased by 1.2%.
-Rape cases decreased by 5.0% and total robberies by 6.5%.
Most of the property Index categories are experiencing declines with the exception of residential burglary and shoplifting larceny:
-Total burglary was down 7.9% with commercial cases decreasing by 26.7% and residential cases increasing by a very slight 0.3% (residential at the end of the second quarter was up by 15.5%).
-Total larceny showed a 8.0% drop, including a 12.6% drop in larceny from vehicle.
-Vehicle thefts decreased by 12.5% this year-to-date.
Cases classed as arson dropped 13.7% according to preliminary figures.
The overall crime reduction of 7.8% in Index crime for 2008 is the largest crime reduction per capita in 14 years. This accomplishment was made possible because of the hard work of the men and women of CMPD and the commitment of the community and its citizens.
