Crime

Crime is on the rise in the Charlotte region. We are now the 8th most dangerous city in the nation according to a recent national crime report. Violent crimes rose 9% in Charlotte while the national average was only 2.3%, resulting in a 10-year record with 85 homicides in 2005. While the city has hired additional police officers, more must be done to address funding issues in our justice system to ensure criminals are not released due to limited staff.

  • Introduced SB 131, District 26 ADA Funds. This bill will provide 15 additional Assistant District Attorneys to prosecute lawbreakers and speed the judicial process.
  • Introduced SB 174, Apportioning of Court System Personnel. This bill would provide court personnel to each judicial and prosecutorial district consistent with the caseload that the district handles. In other words, if a district handles 10% of the caseload, they receive 10% of staff funding.
  • Co-sponsored SB 222, Armed Robbery/Apparent Firearms. The bill makes the use of an apparent firearm to commit robbery a Class D felony.
  • Co-sponsored SB 223, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Jurisdiction. This bill will allow Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officers arrest a person anywhere in NC who committed a crime within the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s jurisdiction.
  • Co-sponsored SB 311, Increase Penalty/Felon with Firearm. This bill increases the penalty for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
  • Co-sponsored SB 578, 26th Judicial District Funds. This bill would provide funding for one additional Superior Court Judge, one additional District Court Judge, five additional Assistant District Attorneys, and additional court personnel for Mecklenburg County.
  • Introduced SB 806, Lengthen Hold Period for Pawned Items. This bill would require pawn shops to hold pawned items from 48 hours to 90 days before reselling. This will help prevent stolen property from being resold at pawn shops and decrease robberies.
  • Co-sponsored SB 1358, Street Gang Prevention Act. The bill would strengthen our laws and increase penalties for gang-related activity.

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