Jan. 17--Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said the number of crimes dropped 7.1 percent last year, a development that Chief Rodney Monroe credited largely to officers keeping a close eye on potential criminals before they struck.
Monroe also defended his department's compilation of crime statistics, saying he's "willing to listen" to anyone who can prove the numbers are not accurate.
The 2011 statistics were released in a late-morning news conference Tuesday at the headquarters of CMPD's Providence Division, which registered the biggest decrease in crimes among the department's 13 divisions -- 18 percent. Monroe said the results show that hard work by police and cooperation with the district attorney's office and the community is paying off.
"Knowing who are offenders are, and paying close attention to them, has paid off," said Monroe, citing CMPD's strategy to focus on repeat offenders.
CMPD reported decreases in homicides, armed robberies, rapes, residential burglaries, vehicle thefts, larceny and arson. Two areas showed increases -- aggravated assaults, and commercial burglaries. Police say commercial thefts were on the rise last year because of several cases in which thieves struck mini-storage facilities, where each theft is considered a separate crime.
"That was the lowest number of homicides this city has seen since 1988, and we had a 96 percent clearance rate for homicides," he said.
Monroe countered criticism from some in the community that CMPD has manufactured lower crime numbers by the way in which they classify incidents. One Charlotte-based blog site says numbers are lowered by classifying crimes to less-severe categories, such as vehicle thefts reported instead as "unauthorized use of motor vehicles," or drive-by shootings as "damage to property."
"The numbers are going down because these officers are working in the neighborhoods," Monroe countered. "Look at the homicide numbers, or the number of Crime Stoppers tips coming in. They're coming down. I can't fudge that."
Monroe said police follow the criminal code, adding, "The code is clear. We follow that."
He said that when the criminal code changes, CMPD adjusts. Monroe said the way in which rapes are defined will change soon to include more types of assaults. That, he said, almost certainly will cause the number of rapes to increase.
During his remarks Tuesday, Monroe cited help from community organizations in helping cut the crime rate. He noted that Men Who Care, a group of African American males, took to the streets on July 4 and New Years Eve, in the wake of trouble during the Speed Streets events in late May uptown.
"Their support helped decrease crime," he said. "And so have the Police Activities League and Right Moves for Youth.
"It takes support from all of the community."
Among highlights from the 2011 crime statistics report:
Homicides: 55 ... decrease of 6.8 percent.
Robberies: 1,612 ... 10.2 percent drop.
Rapes: 211 ... 8.7 percent decrease.
Aggravated assaults: 2,901 ... increase of 3.8 percent.
Residential burglaries: 6,352 ... 13 percent drop.
Commercial burglaries: 2,184 ... 8.1 percent hike.
Vehicle thefts: 2,665 ... down 21.2 percent.
Larcenies: 21,369 ... down 5.9 percent.
Arson: 159 ... 19.8 percent drop.
Copyright 2012 - The Charlotte Observer, N.C.
