CMPD could see a new early intervention system to ID cops with troubling behavior
The City of Charlotte will develop a new internal process to identify police officers who may be displaying troubling behavior, and to update the existing Early Intervention System to flag these officers.
Under the $3.2 billion budget City Council unanimously approved Tuesday, about $118,000 will be used to replace and improve the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s EIS. CMPD also would develop a new internal process to identify officers who may be “acting disproportionately to their peers,” according to the budget.
An internal affairs process has been developed to review the results of the new process.
The new system is projected to go live in late October, a CMPD spokesperson told The Charlotte Observer in an email Tuesday night. The department is creating a new policy for how the system will be implemented, the spokesperson said.
Early warning systems are now required under North Carolina Senate Bill 300, which passed and became law in 2021.
The systems, like the one CMPD has in place, track instances of discharged weapons, use of force, vehicle collisions and citizen complaints. However, under state law, information regarding these officers will not be accessible to the public.
Only an officer’s certification status will be made available, The (Raleigh) News & Observer previously reported.
In most states, police misconduct records are confidential.
Public safety on city budget
Overall, the approved city budget gives CMPD about $317.6 million, a 5.6% increase from last year— and it makes up about 40.5% of the total spending plan. The new fiscal year begins July 1.
The budget also includes:
▪ A 7.1% increase in the Charlotte Fire Department budget, from $144.6 million to $154.8 million;
▪ A 1.5 percent market adjustment for all police officers and firefighters in July, and another 1.5 percent increase in January;
▪ A shift differential incentive of 2.5% for those permanently assigned to second or third shifts.
Biden on police reform
May 25 marked the two-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd, who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer.
Last week, President Joe Biden issued an executive order on police reform.
Two of these key reforms included a call to create a national database of police misconduct, and for law enforcement agencies to improve their investigation and prosecution of criminal civil rights violations.
CMPD, in its response to Biden’s order, said its Internal Affairs Division already tracks employee misconduct, hearings, outcomes, and disciplinary measures.
“The CMPD will contribute any requested information for such a database to be maintained nationally,” the release said.
