Charlotte leaders adopt public safety reforms after activists decry CMPD changes

City leaders on Monday unanimously adopted a sweeping framework to overhaul the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and introduce new violence prevention strategies, capping off months of intense local scrutiny galvanized by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and a controversial protest incident in uptown.

The vote came shortly after activists closely involved with the plan balked at the suggestions, worried it won’t lead to tangible change. But CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings said officers here and across the country are committed to learning from their mistakes.

The Charlotte City Council backed proposals that could reroute certain responsibilities — and budget allocations — from CMPD into more community-based programs. That includes working with Charlotte-based nonprofits already tackling systemic issues that lead to violent crime; providing incentives to police officers to live in they areas they serve; and seeking an outside review of CMPD interactions with the community.

And in a broader reimagining of police and community safety, the city also signaled support for redirecting some lower-risk 911 calls, including for those experiencing a mental health crisis or homelessness. A crisis response team — staffed by clinicians, social workers and people with medical training — could address long-term problems while simultaneously reducing the frequency of officers taking individuals to the emergency room for care.

Jennings said officers have “overwhelmingly” embraced the potential changes and opportunity to build trust throughout Charlotte.

“As we move forward, just know I have been very clear within our agency and our staff that the work is not done,” Jennings said.

Monday’s plan largely brought together ideas discussed since July, without offering clear timelines of when and how reforms could be implemented.

But Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles heralded the plan as a “milestone,” emphasizing the measures are not a rebuke of CMPD — or an attempt to defund police. Lyles told one resident who decried the Black Lives Matter movement that the City Council’s measures hinged on systemic injustice.

“It’s our history that’s got us to this place,” Lyles said, in a rare moment of contextualizing comments made during public forum. “We’re just trying to make sure everyone has an equal chance at what we’re doing.”

Mixed reactions

Several community activists who helped develop the recommendations say the city’s plan now seems watered-down and may not address key priorities amid a soaring homicide rate.

They asked for more time to refine their ideas, detailing a hasty process to solicit community and CMPD feedback ahead of drafting the report, which also delves into how affordable housing, transportation and economic development can create safer communities.

Corine Mack, president of Charlotte’s NAACP chapter, said the plan failed to tackle implicit bias among police officers and uproot the status quo.

“No matter what we implement, Charlotte still does things the Charlotte way,” Mack said in an interview before the City Council meeting. “The things we wanted to implement were going to directly affect how they police. ... Black people are dying and no one is being held accountable.”

Cindy Decker, a volunteer coordinator for CMPD’s Bridge the Difference program, asked the City Council to postpone voting on the report until it was “fully balanced.”

“I thought we would have a more complete comprehensive plan that would satisfy all the Charlotte citizens,” Decker said. “But I feel this plan is incomplete.”

Other members of the community input group said they supported the framework while acknowledging more progress is needed — a perspective echoed among Council members Monday.

“I would like to remind people this is not mission accomplished, and this is not mission complete,” Council member Braxton Winston told his colleagues. “We have set out on a course of systemic change, and that has to be a layered approach.”

City Council member Larken Egleston, who chairs the Safe Communities Committee, sought to assuage residents’ concerns that further progress within CMPD may be stalled or not come into fruition.

“We’re adopting a policy tonight, and it is not then optional for it to be implemented,” Egleston said. “It is not just a statement. It is a change that is written and codified, and it will be implemented.”

In a separate policing effort, Charlotte will soon launch what are known as violence interrupters, city manager Marcus Jones said Monday.

In a pilot program along the Beatties Ford corridor, outreach workers would help at-risk individuals connect with social services and mentors, among other resources. Cure Violence, which has developed such programs across the country, is currently studying the area and interviewing residents, Jones said.

This story was originally published October 26, 2020 at 10:16 PM.