CMPD Responds To Recommendations From Community And Police Collaboration

CHARLOTTE, N.C. ( Newsletter) – The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded to 17 recommendations in response to de-escalation in the department’s Response to Resistance Policy.

The recommendations were made by community and Police Collaboration across the areas of de-escalation, response to resistance and marijuana use and enforcement.

“Community collaboration is at the core of our mission,” said CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings. “If we are going to better ourselves and better our agency, we have to work together with community at the head of the table. When I announced the formation of this group, I knew that conversations would bring challenging questions and recommendations, and we welcome that constructive feedback. As we implement some of these changes at CMPD following the conclusion of this group, my hope is that we will see positive changes as we continue to serve the City of Charlotte.”

The Community and Police Collaboration Group is comprised of multiple organizations across Charlotte including the City’s Community Relations Committee, members of the CMPD, the Citizens Review Board, the NAACP, the Latin American Coalition, Clergy members, CMPD Ambassadors, Action NC and the George Floyd Global Memorial. The group met for several months resulting in constructive conversations between the CMPD and a diverse group of community stakeholders.

Specific changes that are being implemented by the CMPD include:

• Creating a dedicated de-escalation addendum to the existing Response to Resistance Policy
• Improving Early Intervention System reporting, including adding aggregated data for the CMPD’s Internal Affairs annual report
• More focus on slowing down police interactions and assessing situations through officer trainings
• Including family members impacted by various situations with police to be incorporated into recruit training