Wednesday: Mayor's Virtual Caravan to Raleigh

Gang Legislation Update: The Senate moved today toward strengthening North Carolina anti-gang laws while also boosting gang prevention programs. The Senate Rules Committee advanced legislation that would toughen penalties for people who commit crimes as part of their affiliation with a gang. The Senate's anti-gang legislation defines a street gang as any group of three or more people who have a common name or symbol and conduct felony offenses or delinquent acts.

The measure makes coercing or soliciting a minor under the age of 16 to join a gang a low-grade felony punishable by up to roughly two years in prison. The panel also approved a bill that directs county Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils to work on gang prevention programs.

Both the anti-gang and the prevention measures head next to the full Senate. If approved, the anti-gang measure will be sent back to the House, which has approved a different version of the plan. The prevention bill goes to the House.

Mayor Announces 'Virtual' Caravan to Raleigh:

Wednesday May 21st

As I prepare for the trip and news conference in Raleigh tomorrow with Mayors and Police Chiefs from cross the state, I want to urge you to contact your state representatives tomorrow (Wednesday) about the need to pass meaningful gang legislation this summer and add resources to the state criminal justice system to back up the work of our police officers.

I want you to know about a way Charlotteans can be involved in helping to address a key facet of crime, which is gang activity. There will be a Gang Legislation Action Day on Wednesday, May 21st to let state lawmakers know citizens across the state want action on passing tough and meaningful anti-gang measures. We also need to communicate that we want more resources and support for the state criminal justice system (DA's, Courts, and prison space to back up the police).

I hope you will participate in the Gang Legislation Action Day (and encourage others in your neighborhood and on your email lists) by undertaking a "virtual roadtrip" to Raleigh through emails and phone calls to our local State Legislators and Officials.

I got some very disappointing news yesterday. (View Letter) The Governor's budget recommends less money than last year for the State Criminal Justice System and State legislators have asked for even more cuts from the Judicial branch. This makes our work all the more important …. and also harder. We made some inroads last year with state funding and now I would hate to see us take two steps backwards since we are still so far behind with the support needed for the state criminal justice system.

Thanks for your continued efforts to stay engaged on issues in Charlotte! Also, thanks in advance for participating in the Virtual Caravan to Raleigh for Public Safety 2008 on Wednesday, May 21st. Information about State Leaders and General Assembly members can be found at http://www.ncleg.net/. (Click here to e-mail all local State Legislators and Officials)

- Mayor Pat McCrory

Charlotte Checkers 3rd Annual 'SALUTE TO HEROES'

- Click on flyer to enlarge or print -

Forbes Magazine: Charlotte is 9th Most Miserable City

According to a recent article in Forbes Magazine- Charlotte, NC ranks 9th as one of the most miserable cities in the US. Forbes looked at 150 large metropolitan areas and used six different factors to establish what they call the “Misery Measure.”

The six factors included: unemployment rates, personal tax rates, commute times, weather, violent crime and toxic waste/pollution. Charlotte ranked in the bottom 50% in all six categories- with the lowest score (140 out of 150) in the violent crime category.

From the article:

Hometown Heroes' Kids Day

On December 1st (Saturday) come join in the festivities with Mecklenburg County's Sheriff Deputies & MCSO Explorers (partnered with Hometown Heroes’ Inc.) for "Kids Day." **All proceeds will go to help children with critical illnesses. In addition, the MCSO Explorers will be accepting toys for those in need.

TIME: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
LOCATION: (Mallard Creek Church Christmas Tree Lot) (12000 Mallard Creek Rd.)
ACTIVITIES: * Children’s Iris Scans * Sheriff’s Patrol Cars and Motorcycles * ALERT Mobile Command Unit * MCSO Explorers * MCSO Mascot “Scout”

View Flyer & Spread the Word: Microsoft Word - PDF

Thank You Veterans!

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS:
www.anysoldier.com
- Jeff Katz' "Adopt Camp Lejeune Marines in Iraq"
- Welcome Home Veteran

Have a Safe & Happy Halloween!

* North Carolina Sex Offender Registry
* South Carolina Sex Offender Registry
* Mecklenburg County 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders
* National Safety Council Halloween Safety Tips
* National Sex Offender Registry

** The Youth Curfew is still in effect tonight. All kids under the age of 16 must be home (or accompanied by a parent) by 11:00 pm.

** In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Sheriff Deputies will go door-to-door to make sure registered sex offenders are where they’re supposed to be. At this time, Mecklenburg County has 660 registered sex offenders. Only 112 of the registered sex offenders are on probation/parole and are required to keep their lights out & not participate in Halloween festivities tonight.

Make sure you check the sex offender registry because the remaining 548 registered sex offenders are not necessarily required to stay inside with the lights out...

Four Men Arrested after Uptown Aerial Protest

A group of protesters from the Rainforest Action Network were arrested in Center City this morning after hanging from a crane to protest Bank of America and their support of coal mining companies.

The four men are not from Charlotte but climbed a crane at the Ritz-Carlton construction site on College Street around 6:30 am. They hung a banner with the message: "Bank of America, Funding Coal, Killing Communities."

The four men arrested and charged with trespassing are as follows: Matthew Joseph Leonard (Emeryville, CA); Brian Glenn Wallin (Asheville, NC); Joshua Daniel Rumschlag (Clearwater, FL); and John Allen Watterberg (Brooklyn, NY)

Photo Credit & More Info/Photos @ The Charlotte Observer

Two Men Caught Impersonating an Officer

Early this morning, an off-duty police officer was driving home from work when a truck pulled up behind him and flashed blue lights, the same as a real police officer would do. The officer pulled to the side of the road and the truck sped off.

The off-duty officer called for on-duty officers to assist and he followed the truck until officers arrived. Police stopped the truck and arrested the occupants near the Hidden Valley neighborhood.

Police say they don't think the men were using the blue lights to stop people but to get them to pull over so they could pass.

Stephen Hartman, 20 (Shown Top) was driving the car with the blue lights. He is charged with impersonating an officer, operating a vehicle with a blue light and carrying a concealed cutting instrument.

The passenger, Christopher Duncan (Bottom) was charged with resisting arrest.

Rock Throwing Vandals Caught and Arrested

UPDATE: Police say the two men they caught throwing rocks are from Texas. They were hitchhiking and angry because nobody would pick them up... so they threw rocks at passing cars... The two men arrested are named Michael Barnes and Quade Baxter.

Early this morning, two men were caught throwing rocks at passing cars on Interstate I-85 near Mallard Creek Road. The rocks hit six different windshields, including a tractor trailer. The driver of the truck suffered an eye injury from the glass and was transported to the hospital. He is expected to be okay.

Police arrested two men and charged them with assault with a deadly weapon. In addition, one of the suspects was injured when the victims chased him down after the rock throwing attacks. Also, a victim was injured during the struggle with the suspect.

Chief Stephens Speaks...

Thank you to those who participated in the blog survey. I learned a lot about you and received some excellent feedback and suggestions. I always welcome your comments so please keep them coming!

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

Beware of Tow Truck Theft

If your car breaks down, you may want to think twice about leaving your car abandoned on the side of the road.

Police warn that some tow truck drivers are actually car thieves and they will steal your car. A broken down car can still be worth hundreds of dollars or they are traded in as scrap.

Detectives say tow truck auto thefts are big problem in Charlotte and now they are pushing for legislation to register all tow trucks. Source: WBTV

Charlotte-Mecklenburg 311

Do you know about 311? It's the phone number that provides easy access to local government. Customer Service Reps are available to answer your questions or process selected service requests 24/7. CharMeck 311's new online request system allows you to make a report online.

311 Services:

Animals:
- Adoption - Dangerous Dogs
Code Enforcement:
- Anti-Graffiti - Health & Sanitation - Online Permitting
- Resident FAQ (Adding on to your home?)
Garbage Collection:
- Bulky Item Request - Schedules - Recycling
Maps:
- Geo spatial Information Services
Parks and Recreation:
- Locate a park - Reserve a shelter
Parking:
- Pay tickets - Appeal citations
Police:
- Alarm Permit Application - Community Crime Mapping
- Non-Emergency Crime Reporting - File a Complaint Against an Officer
- Recognize Commendable Work by an Officer
Taxes:
- Pay taxes - Tax bill lookup - Tax questions
Streets:
- Potholes - Traffic Calming Request - Traffic Signals
Water:
- Pay water bill - Questions

Charlotte's Anti-Graffiti Program

In an effort to improve the appearance and stability of our neighborhoods, the City of Charlotte created and implemented an anti-graffiti program in 1998.

If you see graffiti anywhere in our city, please call Code Enforcement Division of Neighborhood Development at 704-336-7811
or e-mail them. Most graffiti on public property will be removed within 48 hours. Removal from private property may take longer due to notification of property owners.

** If you see someone in the act of vandalizing property with graffiti, do not confront them. Call 911 and report it to the police.

Car Crashes Into House

Around 8:15 this morning, a woman accidentally backed her SUV into a house on Walterboro Rd. The driver of the car mistook the gas pedal for the brake and smashed into the home.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the crash.


Photos by: Jonathan Jones

Don't get 'Towjacked'

A new type of auto 'theft' is taking place in parking lots across Charlotte. The term police officers use is "towjacking,"- when tow truck drivers sit and wait to tow cars parked illegally. Make sure you read the sign before you park or you may become the next 'towjacking' victim. If the sign says "Parking for___ Only" and the tow truck driver watches you go somewhere else- your car could be towed.

Two known places where "towjacking" occurs is at the Starbuck's on East Boulevard and the new CVS located downtown, in the fourth ward. Source: WBTV

Charlotte Crime Study

The U.S. Justice Department picked 18 cities in the United States to participate in a crime study and metro Charlotte is one of them. It is nice to see a government agency recognize we have a crime problem in Charlotte! Hopefully, the crime study will pinpoint the crime problems Charlotte is experiencing and they will grant us some additional funding to fix them!

Here is the article the AP published about the study:

WASHINGTON - The government selected 18 cities and sprawling suburban regions Wednesday to study for clues on why homicides and other violent crimes are on the rise nationally.

The Justice Department study comes after FBI data in September showed violent criminal activity - including rape, murder, robbery and aggravated assault - rising by 2.2 percent from last year. That marked the first increase in violent crimes since 2001.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced the study at a Boston meeting last month with police chiefs and other law enforcement officials. It will be rolled out in three phases: looking at crime increases in cities, analyzing those results for any trends, and identifying federal programs that can help.

It was not clear whether more federal funding will be available for cities, but Justice Department officials said that "new initiatives" could be created, if necessary.

The cities and regions are: Atlanta; Boston; metropolitan Charlotte, N.C.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Columbus, Ohio; Hartford, Conn.; Houston; Jersey City, N.J.; metropolitan Kansas City, Mo.; Miami; Minneapolis-St. Paul; Nashville, Tenn.; Oklahoma City; Omaha, Neb.; Portland, Ore.; San Bernardino County, Calif.; San Diego; and the cities constituting the Tidewater, Va., area. Source: Associated Press

Fingerprints Needed to Pawn

The Charlotte City Council passed an ordinance Monday night that now requires pawn shop owners to take fingerprints from customers. Starting January 1, 2007, the city's 22 pawn shop owners will have to fingerprint & ID people looking to sell goods.


Police hope the practice will help crack down on crime and they will be better able to track down the source of stolen goods. Some argue that the new measure goes too far and may violate civil rights. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police pushed for the measure because they said many stolen items end up in pawn shops. They say showing an ID wasn't enough when it comes to convicting criminals selling stolen goods. When stolen items are discovered at a pawn shop, police say people often have given false information or they are unable to identify the person, which means they also aren’t able to prosecute. Police view fingerprinting as a fool-proof method to discourage criminals.


It is a controversial issue – on one hand, pawn shop owners are concerned the ordinance would hurt business, essentially treating everyone like criminals, while others argue that it would help to keep thieves out of their stores.


A number of pawn shops are already voluntarily fingerprinting their customers, and all pawn shops are required by law to take down a person’s information which is given to police. Officers said owners collecting prints on a voluntary basis have already allowed them to crack at least three cases. Under the new ordinance pawnbrokers who don't abide by the new rules face a $500 fine or up to 30 days in jail. - WCNC

Liquor Houses = Increased Crime

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are investigating seven murders in seven days. Eyewitness News learned three of those murders happened in or around liquor houses. (Map above provided by The Charlotte Observer)

A liquor house is a home where liquor is illegally sold after hours. Alcohol law enforcement agents tell us violence surrounding these illegal parties has increased tremendously in the past year and a half. Typically when they make a bust they find illegal liquor, drugs, prostitutes and gambling.

Alcohol law enforcement agents told News6 they're looking into starting a new task force to crack down on liquor houses.

Police want you to know what to look for in your neighborhood: A high volume of people walking around for an extended period of time; Frequency of the crowds happening every week at the same time; Gunshots; and loud music. If you think there's a liquor house near your home, please call police.

Police Chase Video

WBTV obtained a video from Pineville Police that shows a police pursuit from the patrol car's dash cam. The chase happened late Monday night. An officer spotted a Cadillac near Carolina Place Mall and attempted to pull it over, but it took off. Police had originally tried to pull over the same car last week.

The driver of the Cadillac, Gregory Tillery (R) turned on Park Cedar Drive, but he got a flat tire and was caught by police. Tillery and his passenger were taken into custody. The passenger was released and not charged. Tillery was charged with driving with a revoked license, resisting a public officer and eluding arrest.

Mug Shot of the Day

Name : HINNANT, WILLIAM T


* ASSAULT ON A FEMALE - AGG.PHYS.FORCE
* HARASSING PHONE CALL
* COMMUNICATING THREATS

>> Look at his collar