CMPD Bringing in Outside Group to Evaluate Keith Scott Shooting

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are bringing in an independent group to take a look its policies and procedures in the wake of the Keith Scott shooting.

WCCB Charlotte sat down Wednesday with Chief Kerr Putney to talk about what CMPD is doing to rebuild a fractured  relationship with the community it serves.

“We’ve always said, and always will be open to assessment, to help us improve,” says Chief Putney. “And we think this gives us an opportunity to do just that.”

CMPD and the City of Charlotte are bringing in an independent research group, The Police Foundation, to look at CMPD’s work surrounding the officer-involved shooting of Keith Scott; especially de-escalation techniques and the response to protest situations.

They’ll also talk with the community about their relationship with police.

“There’s some voices that we’ve been missing,” says Putney. “And now we want to get those voices at the table to be heard as well. Because every voice matters, and every voice counts.”

Chief Kerr Putney says the department is already taking steps to improve, after listening to some harsh criticism in the last few weeks.

“The ACLU, the Safe Coalition of North Carolina, the NAACP’s local chapter have been constantly giving us some perspective that I think has helped us shape how we do some of that work,” says Chief Putney.

The chief says he is committed to transparency; pushing for subpoena powers for the Citizens Review Board, solidifying a public policy for the release of body cam video and asking city council to outfit all officers with body worn cameras.

“I want our officers who are on duty, and off duty working secondary employment, to have them,” says Putney. “But also our tactical teams.”

Chief Putney has taken a lot of heat for not releasing video of the Keith Scott shooting right away, and for CMPD’s response to protests in Charlotte. But he’s more concerned with the impact on his officers.

“They’ve really felt the brunt of that,” says Putney. “And what I can tell you is there’s some professional people. There’s some resilient people. I’m proud of them. Now we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and really engage with our community.”

Interim Charlotte city manager Ron Kimble has pledged to work with CMPD to find the funding to pay for the police foundation assessment.