One question many of you asked was "What can I do about the crime problem in Charlotte?" I e-mailed Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Darrel Stephens to get his opinion about what a Charlotte citizen can do to help resolve the crime problem in Charlotte. He responded in great detail and even though it is lengthy, I’m publishing his entire response.
I realize some of his suggestions are common sense but a crime prevention refresher is always good. I found his suggestions for long term change useful. What do you think?
From Chief Stephens:
It is good to hear from you. Thanks for the opportunity to contribute and for your effort to raise community awareness about crime in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The police are working very hard to do the things – enforcement, prevention, problem-solving – to address increases in crime. It requires the involvement of everyone in the community so I do have a number of suggestions that will help improve both community and individual safety.
Some of my suggestions are short term immediate steps that individuals can take – others are longer term that requires collective action at the neighborhood and community wide levels.
● Most crimes are preventable – take the steps to minimize your potential to be a victim.
- Be sure your home is properly secured. Lock your doors; close your garage, put bicycles and lawn equipment in a secure garage or storage area after use. Make sure that hedges are trimmed so possible entryways can be seen by neighbors. At night time – turn outside lighting on or install motion detectors. Make sure that newspapers and mail delivery is stopped or picked up by a neighbor when you are away. Ask your neighbors to watch out for you and you do the same for them.
- Lock your car and take the keys. Too many cars in Charlotte are stolen with the keys in the ignition, on the floor or in the console. Make sure that garage door openers are hidden from view in your locked car. Place valuables out of sight – the trunk is the best location.
- Become familiar with identity theft CMPD website is a good place to get basic information and links to other sources of information. Always be aware of your surroundings. As you travel throughout the community to work, school or other activities be aware of what is going on around you. Keep your doors locked. Park in well lighted areas. Do not carry large amounts of cash. Do not walk by yourself in areas that you are not familiar with.
● Take an active role in your neighborhood association and/or crime watch. Experience has shown over the years that neighborhoods with an active organization deter crime and other problems. All of our neighborhoods and apartment complexes could use more involvement by residents. These organizations can be the source of information about problems and steps to correct them. A neighborhood where a stranger knows they have been noticed is one that will have fewer crimes. If you do not have an organization in your community – consider taking on the responsibility to start one.
● Get to know your Police Community Coordinator and the officers that serve the area where you live. The new division plan goes into effect on January 13, 2007 – you can find your division at www.cmpd.org. Each patrol division has 3 response teams and two coordinators assigned to each team. These teams and coordinators will work with you to address problems and policing issues in your area.
● Call The Police When Appropriate.
● If you have children – know what they are doing and know their friends. The highest time frame for juvenile crime is the hour of 3:00 to 4:00 PM on school days. Closely monitoring your children’s out of school time helps prevent them from become a victim or offender. Talk to them about school, gangs, drugs, alcohol…
>> These are some of the longer term steps that are important to changing the future of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and North Carolina: (Contact Elected Officials)
● Support North Carolina Court Reform. Both the adult and juvenile court systems are under funded and overwhelmed. Too many juvenile and adult offenders are not held accountable for crimes they are arrested for because there are not adequate resources to handle the workload. The court system could improve efficiency and effectiveness if it had access to modern technology – it is essentially a paper process. Contact your state representatives in the General Assembly and tell them you would like them to vote for increasing resources to the court system.
● Support Improvement in the Juvenile and Adult Corrections System. This is another key area of the criminal justice system that is not properly funded. The Mecklenburg County jail is full – as are NC prisons. Individuals are returning from prison with no skills, no help, no job and likely to have the same problems they had when they went in – more emphasis need to be placed on re-entry programs. Encourage greater use of technology such as electronic monitoring systems for offenders on bond awaiting trial or probation for serious offenses.
● Support Educational programs to keep kids in school and improve results in high poverty schools. Children that are not successful in school are much more likely to be involved in criminal behavior.
● Support and encourage drug education and treatment programs. Many of the robberies, thefts, burglaries, frauds and auto thefts we experience is connected to drug abuse as users finance their substance habits.
● Encourage your representatives in the US Congress to support local crime prevention initiatives and to reform the immigration laws.
This may be much more than you are looking for but all of these areas can help make our community a safer place to live. - Chief Stephens