In case you missed it, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Sue Myrick today announced a new permanent gang task force unit has been assigned to Charlotte. Sue requested this unit several weeks ago, and ICE delivered!
See news coverage of the announcement here: http://www.wsoctv.com/video/20065926/index.html
Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts
Jun 15, 2009
Charlotte vs. Raleigh: Crime Funds
One of the duties of the Governor of North Carolina is to appoint the largest share of the members of the Governor's Crime Commission. This 44 member board decides on the distribution of most all federal crime monies sent to the state.
Of the 44 members currently on the board, Charlotte has three members. Raleigh has 18, and this doesn't count the member from Cary.
Why does the largest city in the state only have three members? Why does Raleigh have 18?
Did I mention the chairman is from New Bern?
Our office has brought this disparity to the attention of the Governor, and we thank her for her recent (unpublicized) appointment of Charlotte Police Chief Rodney Monroe and County Commission Chairwoman Roberts. We are grateful for this step in the right direction.
However, since the board is responsible for the distribution of millions of dollars of federal money for crime fighting initiatives, I think the board should be more representative of the realities of the crime situation in the state.
Did you know Greensboro does not even have a member on the commission? The hot bed of crime, Swan Quarter, NC has a member, but Greensboro does not. Hillsborough has two members to handle their crime explosion (LOL), which up until a couple of weeks ago was more representation than Charlotte.
Perhaps the Governor didn't watch the recent nationally televised series on the History Channel about Charlotte's gang problems ("Gangland" episode about the Hidden Valley Kings killings).
But I'm not worried, I know those members from New Bern, Swan Quarter, Rocky Mount and places East are going to take good care of us here in Charlotte. They understand our needs and concerns much more than we do here in the Queen City.
Below is a listing of the Governor's Crime Commission Members:
Dr. June Atkinson
Raleigh
Ms. Robin Baker
Raleigh
Judge Joseph M. Buckner
Hillsborough
Sheriff Stephen "Steve" W. Bunn
Elizabethtown
Secretary Lanier M. Cansler
Raleigh
Mr. Seth W. Chapman
Taylorsville
Judge J. C. Cole
Hertford
Attorney General Roy Cooper
Raleigh
Chief Harry Dolan
Raleigh
Mayor James K. Festerman
Reidsville
Judge Carl R. Fox
Hillsborough
Ms. Carrah B. Franke
Cary
Dr. Catherine M. Fuentes
Charlotte
Representative R. Phillip Haire
Raleigh
Secretary Linda W. Hayes
Dunn
Sheriff Worth L. Hill
Durham
Ms. Jean R. Irvin
Winston-Salem
Dr. Robert "Robin" H. Jenkins
Fayetteville
Mr. David E. Jones
Raleigh
Senator Edward "Ed" Jones
Raleigh
Secretary Alvin Keller, Jr.
Raleigh
Sheriff James L. Knight
Tarboro
Mr. Robert Lewis
Raleigh
Ms. Rita Anita Linger
Durham
Chief Rodney Monroe
Charlotte
Mr. Tim Moose
Raleigh
Chief Thomas M. Moss
Garner
Chief Justice Sarah E. Parker
Raleigh
Ms. Robin P. Pendergraft
Raleigh
Governor Beverly Eaves Perdue
Raleigh
Mr. James W. Pierce, Jr.
Wilmington
Ms. Sandra Lynn Reid
Elon
Ms. Jennifer Roberts
Charlotte
Ms. Sharon Sadler
Swan Quarter
Captain J. Wayne Sears
Rocky Mount
Mr. Richard L. Shaffer
Shelby
Det. Crystal Lynn Sharpe
Graham
Judge John W. Smith
Raleigh
Senator John J. Snow
Raleigh
Mr. William H. Stanley
Asheville
Ms. Charlaine Sybrant
Boone
Chair, GCC
Mr. Scott Thomas
New Bern
Judge Albert S. Thomas, Jr.
Wilson
Representative Michael H. Wray
Raleigh
Secretary Reuben F. Young
Raleigh
Of the 44 members currently on the board, Charlotte has three members. Raleigh has 18, and this doesn't count the member from Cary.
Why does the largest city in the state only have three members? Why does Raleigh have 18?
Did I mention the chairman is from New Bern?
Our office has brought this disparity to the attention of the Governor, and we thank her for her recent (unpublicized) appointment of Charlotte Police Chief Rodney Monroe and County Commission Chairwoman Roberts. We are grateful for this step in the right direction.
However, since the board is responsible for the distribution of millions of dollars of federal money for crime fighting initiatives, I think the board should be more representative of the realities of the crime situation in the state.
Did you know Greensboro does not even have a member on the commission? The hot bed of crime, Swan Quarter, NC has a member, but Greensboro does not. Hillsborough has two members to handle their crime explosion (LOL), which up until a couple of weeks ago was more representation than Charlotte.
Perhaps the Governor didn't watch the recent nationally televised series on the History Channel about Charlotte's gang problems ("Gangland" episode about the Hidden Valley Kings killings).
But I'm not worried, I know those members from New Bern, Swan Quarter, Rocky Mount and places East are going to take good care of us here in Charlotte. They understand our needs and concerns much more than we do here in the Queen City.
Below is a listing of the Governor's Crime Commission Members:
Dr. June Atkinson
Raleigh
Ms. Robin Baker
Raleigh
Judge Joseph M. Buckner
Hillsborough
Sheriff Stephen "Steve" W. Bunn
Elizabethtown
Secretary Lanier M. Cansler
Raleigh
Mr. Seth W. Chapman
Taylorsville
Judge J. C. Cole
Hertford
Attorney General Roy Cooper
Raleigh
Chief Harry Dolan
Raleigh
Mayor James K. Festerman
Reidsville
Judge Carl R. Fox
Hillsborough
Ms. Carrah B. Franke
Cary
Dr. Catherine M. Fuentes
Charlotte
Representative R. Phillip Haire
Raleigh
Secretary Linda W. Hayes
Dunn
Sheriff Worth L. Hill
Durham
Ms. Jean R. Irvin
Winston-Salem
Dr. Robert "Robin" H. Jenkins
Fayetteville
Mr. David E. Jones
Raleigh
Senator Edward "Ed" Jones
Raleigh
Secretary Alvin Keller, Jr.
Raleigh
Sheriff James L. Knight
Tarboro
Mr. Robert Lewis
Raleigh
Ms. Rita Anita Linger
Durham
Chief Rodney Monroe
Charlotte
Mr. Tim Moose
Raleigh
Chief Thomas M. Moss
Garner
Chief Justice Sarah E. Parker
Raleigh
Ms. Robin P. Pendergraft
Raleigh
Governor Beverly Eaves Perdue
Raleigh
Mr. James W. Pierce, Jr.
Wilmington
Ms. Sandra Lynn Reid
Elon
Ms. Jennifer Roberts
Charlotte
Ms. Sharon Sadler
Swan Quarter
Captain J. Wayne Sears
Rocky Mount
Mr. Richard L. Shaffer
Shelby
Det. Crystal Lynn Sharpe
Graham
Judge John W. Smith
Raleigh
Senator John J. Snow
Raleigh
Mr. William H. Stanley
Asheville
Ms. Charlaine Sybrant
Boone
Chair, GCC
Mr. Scott Thomas
New Bern
Judge Albert S. Thomas, Jr.
Wilson
Representative Michael H. Wray
Raleigh
Secretary Reuben F. Young
Raleigh
May 22, 2009
Anti-Crime Agenda for Charlotte
Last weekend, Taylor Batten of the Observer published an article about how neither candidate for Mayor was breaking out with an aggressive agenda for this fall's mayoral contest (Anyone up for a revealing campaign?)
I agree with him.
Regardless of what Anthony Foxx or John Lassiter's political agendas are this fall, both will talk about public safety issues.
Let me offer them both a ready-made agenda on the crime issue. The agenda is neither Republican or Democrat. This is the first half of the agenda, as it involves local issues that are fairly simple to address. I will offer the second half of his agenda in a later blog posting. I hope both candidates will embrace it and make it their own.
1. Most federal funds that make there way to Charlotte for crime prevention efforts are distributed via the Governor's Crime Commission. Appointed primarily by the Governor, the commission has 44 members from around the state. Of the 44, Charlotte has one member. One. Raleigh has 20!
To be fair to the Governor, she inherited the current board from her predecessor and of the 44 members, 27 are appointed by the Governor, 13 are ex officio, two appointed by the Speaker of the House and two by the Senate Pro Tem.
Not to be partisan, but all of these positions are Democrat controlled.
Both mayoral candidates should call on the Governor to completely overhaul the representation on this board, so that Charlotte is better represented. The recently passed stimulus bill alone, has a potential $3.2 billion worth of crime fighting monies on the table, that this board will be instrumental for distributing in NC, so time is of the essence.
2. Call on the DA and the police chief to identify the top 200 chronic offenders in Charlotte and throw the book at them. Do not allow any of these 200 to plea out on any charges.
3. Call on the DA to assign one Assistant DA in each of the 13 police divisions to help catch the chronic offenders. When the ADAs are prosecuting the same guys every week, it increases the odds that the bad guy will be identified as a chronic offender.
4. Make the city of Charlotte and the CMPD release the details of major unsolved crimes on the anniversary of said crimes. The local media will cover these anniversaries and it could lead to additional information surfacing that could help solve the case. Plenty of other cities around the country employ this simple action. Why aren't we?
5. Partner with CPCC, the Government Channel or UNCC to create, produce and distribute an America's Most Wanted type program weekly on local television. Use the free labor of broadcasting students (give them college credit for their efforts) to produce an entertaining show that will help nab the bad guys.
6. Completely overhaul the Crime Stoppers Program by endowing it with enough cash to make a difference. Chief Monroe shared with me recently that he really wished we had a viable Crime Stoppers Program like other cities. Our program lacks cash. Without cash, the program can't give rewards, but equally important, it can't pay for advertising (television, radio, Internet commercials) educating people of the crimes that need solving.
7. To aid the rebuilding of the Crime Stoppers Program, call on one of our resident financial institutions to create a "keep the change" savings system where by the dollar amount of participants' purchases are rounded up to the nearest dollar. Rather than inserting the money into your savings account, give people the option of donating the round up amount to the Crime Stoppers Program. Once this program is in place, launch a major earned media campaign to rally the general public to the cause. With just a little effort, we could completely endow the Crime Stoppers Program.
8. The city council should create a citizens advisory board on crime to advise the board on crime fighting techniques and best practices. I find it sad that the city has boards to advise them on bike paths, the airport, roads, etc, but not one on crime. It speaks volumes as to our priorities as a city.
9. Charlotte needs a crime commission, not a crime czar. Several months ago, a suggestion was made for Charlotte-Mecklenburg to create a crime czar so as to monitor and coordinate the crime fighting funding process between the different levels of government (CMPD, DA, Sheriff, etc). The thought behind the idea is a good one, but rather than create a crime czar, the city should rather create a non-profit crime commission. The commission would be funded by private money and corporate support. It would not receive money from any of the crime fighting agencies so that it can remain objective. It would become the watch dog of crime fighting in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, reporting annually on who is pulling their weight and who is not. The executive director of the Crime Commission would be the de facto Crime Czar of Charlotte. New York City has a crime commission. Why don't we?
10. Hire more cops. We are understaffed on the street by 24%. The Chief is doing a good job by taking his case to the city council. Whether it is federal COPs dollars or local dollars... hire more cops!
11. Charlotte needs to build out and deploy mobile police stations. We have 13 police divisions, but 36 identified crime hot spots in Charlotte. Just like many other cities, we should have an effective mobile station deployment to make up for this disparity. Raleigh utilized this crime fighting technique in the 90's.
12. Let's look at cutting the size of Charlotte's police divisions. The south division is 60 square miles in size. Too large. Too long of a response time.
13. Let's get serious about drinking and driving. Let's purchase two, three, four more mobile DUI intake centers. Let's put it on the road every Friday and Saturday night year around, not just on July 4th or New Year's eve.
14. Let's vigorously defend the use of the federal 287g program in our county jail system. To date, this single program has done the most to fight illegal immigration in our city. Without it we have no tool in the tool belt to fight back. This year you will see a concerted effort nationwide to defund and scale back 287g. We will need to fight back when this happens.
As I said earlier, this is only the first installment of an anti-crime agenda for our local candidates. In a later post, I will inform you of a second wave of anti-crime efforts that involve federal resources, that we should be engaged in. Stay tuned.
I agree with him.
Regardless of what Anthony Foxx or John Lassiter's political agendas are this fall, both will talk about public safety issues.
Let me offer them both a ready-made agenda on the crime issue. The agenda is neither Republican or Democrat. This is the first half of the agenda, as it involves local issues that are fairly simple to address. I will offer the second half of his agenda in a later blog posting. I hope both candidates will embrace it and make it their own.
1. Most federal funds that make there way to Charlotte for crime prevention efforts are distributed via the Governor's Crime Commission. Appointed primarily by the Governor, the commission has 44 members from around the state. Of the 44, Charlotte has one member. One. Raleigh has 20!
To be fair to the Governor, she inherited the current board from her predecessor and of the 44 members, 27 are appointed by the Governor, 13 are ex officio, two appointed by the Speaker of the House and two by the Senate Pro Tem.
Not to be partisan, but all of these positions are Democrat controlled.
Both mayoral candidates should call on the Governor to completely overhaul the representation on this board, so that Charlotte is better represented. The recently passed stimulus bill alone, has a potential $3.2 billion worth of crime fighting monies on the table, that this board will be instrumental for distributing in NC, so time is of the essence.
2. Call on the DA and the police chief to identify the top 200 chronic offenders in Charlotte and throw the book at them. Do not allow any of these 200 to plea out on any charges.
3. Call on the DA to assign one Assistant DA in each of the 13 police divisions to help catch the chronic offenders. When the ADAs are prosecuting the same guys every week, it increases the odds that the bad guy will be identified as a chronic offender.
4. Make the city of Charlotte and the CMPD release the details of major unsolved crimes on the anniversary of said crimes. The local media will cover these anniversaries and it could lead to additional information surfacing that could help solve the case. Plenty of other cities around the country employ this simple action. Why aren't we?
5. Partner with CPCC, the Government Channel or UNCC to create, produce and distribute an America's Most Wanted type program weekly on local television. Use the free labor of broadcasting students (give them college credit for their efforts) to produce an entertaining show that will help nab the bad guys.
6. Completely overhaul the Crime Stoppers Program by endowing it with enough cash to make a difference. Chief Monroe shared with me recently that he really wished we had a viable Crime Stoppers Program like other cities. Our program lacks cash. Without cash, the program can't give rewards, but equally important, it can't pay for advertising (television, radio, Internet commercials) educating people of the crimes that need solving.
7. To aid the rebuilding of the Crime Stoppers Program, call on one of our resident financial institutions to create a "keep the change" savings system where by the dollar amount of participants' purchases are rounded up to the nearest dollar. Rather than inserting the money into your savings account, give people the option of donating the round up amount to the Crime Stoppers Program. Once this program is in place, launch a major earned media campaign to rally the general public to the cause. With just a little effort, we could completely endow the Crime Stoppers Program.
8. The city council should create a citizens advisory board on crime to advise the board on crime fighting techniques and best practices. I find it sad that the city has boards to advise them on bike paths, the airport, roads, etc, but not one on crime. It speaks volumes as to our priorities as a city.
9. Charlotte needs a crime commission, not a crime czar. Several months ago, a suggestion was made for Charlotte-Mecklenburg to create a crime czar so as to monitor and coordinate the crime fighting funding process between the different levels of government (CMPD, DA, Sheriff, etc). The thought behind the idea is a good one, but rather than create a crime czar, the city should rather create a non-profit crime commission. The commission would be funded by private money and corporate support. It would not receive money from any of the crime fighting agencies so that it can remain objective. It would become the watch dog of crime fighting in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, reporting annually on who is pulling their weight and who is not. The executive director of the Crime Commission would be the de facto Crime Czar of Charlotte. New York City has a crime commission. Why don't we?
10. Hire more cops. We are understaffed on the street by 24%. The Chief is doing a good job by taking his case to the city council. Whether it is federal COPs dollars or local dollars... hire more cops!
11. Charlotte needs to build out and deploy mobile police stations. We have 13 police divisions, but 36 identified crime hot spots in Charlotte. Just like many other cities, we should have an effective mobile station deployment to make up for this disparity. Raleigh utilized this crime fighting technique in the 90's.
12. Let's look at cutting the size of Charlotte's police divisions. The south division is 60 square miles in size. Too large. Too long of a response time.
13. Let's get serious about drinking and driving. Let's purchase two, three, four more mobile DUI intake centers. Let's put it on the road every Friday and Saturday night year around, not just on July 4th or New Year's eve.
14. Let's vigorously defend the use of the federal 287g program in our county jail system. To date, this single program has done the most to fight illegal immigration in our city. Without it we have no tool in the tool belt to fight back. This year you will see a concerted effort nationwide to defund and scale back 287g. We will need to fight back when this happens.
As I said earlier, this is only the first installment of an anti-crime agenda for our local candidates. In a later post, I will inform you of a second wave of anti-crime efforts that involve federal resources, that we should be engaged in. Stay tuned.
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